Tri-State Area Braces For Snow And Sleet; Winter Weather Advisory In Effect
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Tri-State is bracing for the first significant snowfall of the season. A wintry mix of snow and sleet is set to hit the region Friday night into Saturday.
Forecasters say the New York City-metro area may see 3 to 6 inches of snow, and up to 7 inches north of the city. Long Island could see between 2 to 5 inches of accumulation. The Jersey Shore will see 1 to 3 inches of snow before ending Saturday afternoon.
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A winter weather advisory is in effect from 1 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday for New York City, sections of northeast New Jersey and most of western Long Island.
AccuWeather says the 12-hour snowstorm will be steady after it moves into the area early Saturday morning.
CBS 2 Meteorologist Vanessa Murdock says the snow will start around 3 a.m., be heaviest around 9 a.m. and end around 4 p.m.
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Snow removal crews are getting ready across the region.
The New York City Department of Sanitation has issued a snow alert for Saturday starting at midnight and is working with the Office of Emergency Management in coordinating its efforts to get snow cleared from the roads.
Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty pointed to large screens in the operations room, describing how the agency will monitor the trucks that battle the storm.
"I will have probably...1,500 plows and I'll still have the same rough number of 500 salt spreaders out there," he told reporters, including 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa.
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Doherty said he believes crews will be salting until Sunday in some areas because that is when the temperature will begin to warm up.
The MTA was also doing its part to make sure it is ready for Saturday's storm impact. The agency was showing off some equipment that helps clear the tracks to help move trains through.
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"We have about 40 personnel here at the Bergen County garage that handles all of our public properties, sidewalks, parking lots and we have about 240 plows contracted out," said Joe Crifasi, Bergen County director of public works.
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Ray Barrett, the general manager of Keough's Paint and Hardware on High Ridge Road in Stamford, Conn., says while they have plenty of supplies on hand, he thinks most people are ready.
"I think people took 2011 and say 'you know what, it's not going to happen to me as a homeowner, a consumer again where I get caught without what I need for a storm,'" said Barrett. "They're definitely starting to prepare better."
For some homeowners and property managers, it's their job to be ready for winter weather, so they're stocking up.
"We have to be prepared to take care of the place, clean the parking lot, salt it before," said Mario Zamoria, super for a building in Little Ferry.
Officials across the Tri-State area are urging motorists to take caution on the roads.
"If you don't have to drive, if you really don't have to go out, stay off the road. It makes it easier for the workers that are plowing and the emergency responders that are out there," Mary Goepfert, of New Jersey's Office of Emergency Management, told 1010 WINS.
If you do have to hit the roads, make sure to prepare an emergency kit equipped with flashlights, batteries, food, cell phone and a GPS system. Also, be sure to let someone know where you're going and how long you'll be out.
Meanwhile, NJ TRANSIT said it's closely monitoring the storm and will offer full systemwide cross-honoring all day Saturday.
