Widespread Winter Weather Watches and Warnings
On Monday, April 1, 2024, Governor Hochul issued a Press Release urging New Yorkers to prepare for a long-duration winter weather event expected to begin tonight, April 2, 2024, and continuing into late this week in some areas. Heavy snow, rain, and high wind gusts could cause hazardous travel, power outages, and flooding.
For a complete listing of weather alerts and forecasts, visit the National Weather Service website. This link will take you directly to the alerts listings for NYS. Click your details button for your area to get local information and predictions. Check back often, as “watches” will be upgraded to “warnings” as storm conditions progress.
Details
Travel will be hazardous, particularly during the Wednesday and Thursday commutes. Isolated power outages are highly possible in all affected regions, especially given the expected wind gusts of up to 50mph.
There is a Winter Storm Watch for over a dozen NYS counties through Friday, April 5, 2024. Snow and sleet will begin tonight for a large swath of the state from the mid-Hudson region up to the North Country and west to the Southern Tier. Many New Yorkers could see 6 to 12 inches of snow, and up to two feet may fall in the higher elevations. Conditions are prime for ice accumulations. Travel may be impossible.
Lower elevations in the North Country, Capital District, and upper mid-Hudson areas will see a wintry mix. A High Wind watch is in effect for Eastern Rensselaer, NY.
Southerly regions including New York City, Long Island, and the lower Hudson Valley can expect 2 to 3 inches of rain from tonight through Thursday. Flooding is likely, especially in low-lying and coastal areas.
For complete weather updates and alerts, visit the National Weather Service website and familiarize yourself with the distinctions between advisories, watches, and warnings to gauge local risks:
- A storm watch is issued when there is a risk of hazardous weather.
- An advisory indicates that conditions will be inconvenient, and caution is needed to prevent threats to life or property.
- A warning indicates that conditions themselves pose a threat to life or property, and that travel will be difficult or impossible.
HCP Support
See the Department of Health’s weather-related advisory for health care providers on HCP’s Emergency Management website. The advisory includes the Roster of Contact Information for New York State DOH Divisions.
Some key points for home care providers:
- Review emergency plans and confirm 24/7 contact information for key staff in case urgent communication is needed.
- Ensure that adequate staffing will be available for the duration of the storm.
- Update business and emergency contact information in the Health Commerce System Communications Directory to ensure important alerts and notifications are received by your organization.
- The Health Electronic Response Data System (HERDS) surveys may be conducted to capture important information regarding an organization’s status during an emergency.
- Request emergency assistance through the local Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and/or local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) if needed during and following the storm.
- Report disruption of services or infrastructure to the New York State Department of Health.
- Agencies must communicate with their most vulnerable patients before, during, and after the storm to perform safety and health checks. Consider postponing visits for all but your most critical cases.
- Make sure staff know to utilize your organization’s emergency management plan for those refusing to evacuate.
- Maintain communication with staff in the field to ensure their safety.
General Precautions
Exercise caution when traveling, especially on snow-covered or flooded roads. Those in affected areas should anticipate commuting delays and potential supply delivery disruptions.
The NYC Office of Emergency Management and the NYS Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services offer the following safety tips:
- Keep your vehicle fueled.
- Keep protective supplies on hand (sandbags, ice melt, etc.).
- Allow for extra travel time and utilize public transportation when possible.
- If you must drive, drive slowly. Use major streets or highways for travel whenever possible.
- Do not drive into flooded streets or enter flooded subway stations.
- Check on friends, relatives, and neighbors, especially older adults and people with disabilities, access and functional needs, or health conditions. Help them to prepare if needed.
- Keep phones and other devices fully charged.
Keep a close eye on the forecast and watch for alerts from the National Weather Service.
More Information
Providers and patients are encouraged to sign up for NY Alert, the state’s Mass Notification System, for timely emergency warnings and critical information. Notify NYC is another alert option for those in the five boroughs. Some notices are posted on the Notify NYC website, but by downloading the app, users can get location-specific information quickly.
Motorists can download the Thruway Authority mobile app to view live traffic cams and get navigation assistance. An interactive map is also available online and shows traffic conditions for the Thruway and other NYS roadways.