New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned residents of a “major statewide risk” of winter weather this weekend.
“I call it the sink storm because it threw everything at us except the sink,” Hochul said at a press conference Friday afternoon. “We’ve had ice, floods, snow, freezing temperatures and everything mother nature could have hit us this weekend.”
The state’s transportation commissioner said at a news conference that high winds and rain have been reported across the state, and officials are now bracing for heavy snowfall and record-setting wind speeds.
Hochul said there have been more than 100,000 outages statewide, with about 27,000 in Erie County and 15,000 in Monroe County.
“If you lose power, it’s going to be very cold,” said Jackie Bray, the state’s homeland security and emergency services commissioner. Bray told residents dealing with power outages to seek out warm shelters offered by some counties.
“Please don’t assume you can get through this cold overnight without heating,” she said. “You may not.”
Regional impact: “We’re seeing extreme, dangerous, life-threatening high winds, heavy snowstorms, in real time. Western New York“, Hochul said, explaining that the area was hit by both a national hurricane and a lake-effect storm.
She said winds around the Buffalo Skyway had reached nearly 80 mph — higher than the wind during the 1977 blizzard.
Parts of Long Island and New York City Coastal flooding up to 3 feet high is starting to decrease, although more rain is forecast in the area, Hochul said.
Bray said the main hazards in the city will be low temperatures, windy and ice conditions, with a potential for a quick freeze later today.
Hochul said Hudson Valley, capital region, north and Male Level there has been heavy rain and wind, with snow also reported in the latter two areas, but major problems are yet to be reported.
Traffic impact: A rapid freeze has hit the western part of the state and is expected to affect eastern areas as well, resulting in widespread travel restrictions, Hochul said.
“The roads are going to be like an ice rink and your tires can’t handle this,” she said.
In some areas, like Erie County, the commercial driving ban has been extended to all roads and certain roads are closed, Hochul said.
“We really want people to stay off the road,” Bray said. “Roads will be frozen statewide. That should pass at least tomorrow, before any of that eases.”
Officials said some road and rail lines that were closed Friday due to flooding have reopened as the waters recede. Bray urges travelers to use public transport instead of driving, saying the weather shouldn’t disrupt those options any further.
Hochul said she doesn’t anticipate the closure of New York City’s airports, although high winds have the potential to change that.
