NEW YORK CITY — The first snow of the year could hit New York Tuesday, but don’t plan on getting the day off from work.
A strong, low pressure system from the Great Lakes could bring “light” snow or rain in the late afternoon or early evening, National Weather Service Meteorologist David Wally told DNAInfo New York.
Temperatures will be mild, with a high in the low 40s, so “it’s kind of a low chance of snow," Wally said. If there is any snow, it likely won’t stick.
“We’re not looking into anything measurable,” Wally said, noting there might “a coating in grassy areas.”
Still, the Department of Sanitation issued a "snow alert," preparing for a possible storm by loading salt spreaders, attaching plows and preparing tire chains.
Typically, “significant” winter snowfall starts around Jan. 1, Wally said. On average, 4.8 inches of snow fall in December and 7 inches in January, “but we didn’t see any snow,” he said.
No snow has been measured in Central Park all winter. There was “just a trace of snow” on Dec. 28 and 29, but it was mixed with sleet and did not stick, Wally said.
Instead, the last two months have proved to be the warmest November and December on record.
El Niño could be to blame for the unseasonable weather because “El Niño years are warmer and have less snow,” Wally said.