A quick-moving winter storm dumped more than 8 inches of snow on the New York City region early Friday, snarling commutes and causing headaches at area airports, forecasters and officials said.
LaGuardia Airport in Queens tallied 8.4 inches of snow as of 7 a.m., while 5.5 inches were recorded at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Elsewhere in the city, 5.5 inches fell in Central Park, where the snowfall was expected to taper off by midmorning, AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys told The Post.
“The storm that we talked about yesterday is doing what we expected it to be doing,” Roys said early Friday. “There’s a heavy snowband moving through eastern Long Island for the next few hours.”
The heavy precipitation should end by 10 a.m. throughout the New York City region and move through Long Island a few hours later, Roys said.
“Many areas are waking up to 3-6 inches of snow, but some places on Long Island, especially east of the city, in Queens and in Brooklyn, will see 6-plus inches,” Roys said. “Overall, it is what we expected.”
The conditions still caused hundreds of flight cancellations at area airports, including 331 at LaGuardia, 230 at Newark Liberty International and 221 at JFK.
“The heaviest snowfall in our region is expected during the morning commute, and it may lead to unsafe roadway conditions so ONLY go to #EWR if your airline confirms your flight,” Newark Liberty Airport tweeted. “Roadways may be slick, so allow for extra travel time.”
Nationwide, some 4,361 flights were cancelled as of early Friday, including 36 percent of trips at LaGuardia and 22 percent at JFK, according to FlightAware.com. Another 4,192 flights were delayed, the website shows.
In New Jersey, Newark recorded 5 inches as of early Friday, while higher totals were tallied in Norwalk, Connecticut, where 8 inches fell by 7 a.m., Roys said. Islip, New York, got 5.6 inches, while other snowfall reports for Long Island would be ready within the next few hours as the storm passes through the region, he said.
The snowfall is expected to move out of the tri-state region by noon, but conditions will stay treacherous as high winds remain, potentially hampering the clean-up process on roadways, Roys said.
“Take it easy on the roads,” he said. “Wait until this afternoon to travel when all of the major roads will be likely be cleared. The morning commute is going to be very difficult. Travel for the next couple of hours should be avoided at all costs.”
Icy spots on roadways may develop later tonight and into tomorrow morning. Temps in New York City are expected to plunge into the lower 20s Friday night, and will be even colder in the suburbs, dropping into the mid- and upper teens, Roys said.
The storm had yet to develop into a “bomb cyclone,” Roys said — a weather event marked by quick drop in barometric pressure accompanied by heavy precipitation and high winds. But it could do so by later Friday evening when it will be south of Nova Scotia, Canada, which will get more than a foot of snow from the storm, Roys said.
A winter weather advisory for the Big Apple remains in effect until 12 p.m. Friday.
“An additional 1-3 inches of snow possible,” the agency tweeted at 4:30 a.m. Friday. “These conditions may cause significant travel difficulties.”
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in all of the state’s 21 counties ahead of the storm late Thursday.
Restrictions were put in place on commercial vehicles as of 10 p.m. Thursday on multiple interstate highways while Murphy urged residents to stay at home if possible.
“Residents should stay off the roads, remain vigilant, and follow all safety protocols,” Murphy said in a statement.
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