New York City could get up to 20 inches of snow as a massive nor’easter slams the region Sunday and Monday, said Mayor Mamdani – who still won’t force vulnerable New Yorkers off the streets.
The storm is forecast to start Sunday morning with snow getting heavier as the day goes on and “intense snowfall” and “dangerous winds” increasing overnight, the mayor said.
“We are now expecting between 13 to 17 inches of snow, but there is a slight chance we may see up to 20 inches, if not more,” Mamdani said at a Saturday news conference.
Mamdani said efforts to get the homeless indoors would begin 4 p.m. Saturday, but didn’t pledge to force people inside.
At least 19 people were found dead outdoors in the city after a Jan. 26 storm blanketed the city with snow and ushered in Arctic temperatures, with 15 of those victims believed to have died due to hypothermia, according to the medical examiner.
The timing of the storm should make for a dangerous Monday morning commute, the mayor noted.
“I am asking all New Yorkers to stay inside and stay off the roads for your safety. These have the potential to be even more hazardous conditions than we faced the last time around,” he said, referring to a large winter storm that blanketed the region with snow on Jan. 26.
The mayor – who was slammed last month when he decided to make city schoolkids do remote learning instead of giving them a snow day – said he would wait until noon Sunday to make a decision on whether to close schools this time.
