MIDTOWN — A mix of sleet and rain is headed to the city on Monday night, forecasters say.
But the wintry mix won't stick and will likely transition to rain after midnight, according to the National Weather Service. The city Department of Sanitation still issued a snow alert for Monday evening to prepare for the possible deployment of salt spreaders and snow plows.
The cold weather precipitation will be a shock to the system for New Yorkers, who spent last week in outdoor temperatures hovering around 60 degrees. Flowers bloomed out of season and New Yorkers bared their unshaven legs in shorts.
By Thursday, Dec. 24, the record-breaking temperatures were pushing 70 degrees, beating the warmest Christmas Eve on record, which clocked in at 63 degrees in 1996.
Monday night temperatures will hover near freezing around midnight, rising from there, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Carlie Buccola.
The weather system bringing South Connecticut, the Lower Hudson Valley and northeast New Jersey sleet and freezing rain will pass over New York City, too, but, said Buccola, "we’re not expecting any sleet accumulation."
Temperatures are expected to climb into the 50s Tuesday and hover in the low 50s on Wednesday and Thursday. They'll sink to the mid 40s by Friday, forecasters predict.
"[That's] still above average for this time of year, but it’ll feel much cooler, since we’re used to temperatures in the 60s," Buccola said.
