For Immediate Release  

#18-22    

NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ISSUES TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR SATURDAY, MARCH 12

    

Light rain will begin Friday night, moderate to heavy rain will begin early Saturday morning

Rain will turn to sleet then snow in the late morning with high wind gusts

  

March 11, 2022 — The New York City Emergency Management Department today issued a travel advisory for Saturday, March 12. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for New York City in effect from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. According to the latest forecast, a low-pressure system will impact the area Friday night into Saturday. Moderate to heavy rain with gusty winds is expected citywide beginning early Saturday morning around 2 a.m., continuing throughout the day until 7 p.m. In addition, rain will transition to sleet then snow as a strong cold front moves into the area in the late morning from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., producing up to 0.5 inches of total rainfall and 1 to 3 inches of snow through the end of the event. Wind gusts between 25 and 50 mph are expected in the afternoon into early Sunday morning. Temperatures will also drop into the single digits late Saturday night into Sunday.

  

“While spring is less than two weeks away, winter is still here and making its presence known. A mixture of rain and snow with high winds is expected Saturday and we advise New Yorkers to make adjustments to their travel plans,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “We encourage New Yorkers to use mass transit, allow for extra travel time, and exercise caution.”  

“Mother Nature always has surprises ready for New York City this time of year – but DSNY is never caught off guard. We have salt spreaders ready to go, and we ask all residents to stay off the roads if possible, giving us space to do our job of getting the City moving again,” said NYC Department of Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson.

The City’s Sanitation Department is pre-deploying salt spreaders to pretreat roadways ahead of the first snowflake and will dispatch more than 2,000 plows when more than two inches of snow accumulates. 

  

Safety Tips  

 

•  Allow for extra travel time. New Yorkers are urged to use public transportation.  
• If you must drive, drive slowly. Use major streets or highways for travel whenever possible.  
• Vehicles take longer to stop on snow and ice than on dry pavement. 
• Pedestrians should exercise caution and avoid slippery surfaces; some ice may not be visible. Wear sturdy boots that provide traction to reduce slipping. Use handrails when using stairs.  
• Take care when walking on snow and ice, especially if you are an older adult. Older adults should take extra care outdoors to avoid slips and falls from icy conditions.  
• Have heightened awareness of cars, particularly when approaching or crossing intersections. 
• Wear layers including a hat, gloves/mittens, and a scarf to stay protected from the cold. And keep clothes and shoes dry, if a layer becomes wet, remove it.
• Keep fingertips, earlobes, and noses covered if you go outside. 

Prepare for Power Outages

• To prepare for a possible power outage, charge cell phone batteries, gather supplies, and turn your refrigerator and freezer to a colder setting. If you lose power, items that need refrigeration will stay cooler for longer.
• If your power goes out, disconnect or turn off appliances that would otherwise turn on automatically when service is restored. If several appliances start up at once, the electric circuits may overload.
• Make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios or televisions are working. Keep extra batteries.
• If you lose power and have a disability, access and functional needs or use life-sustaining equipment (LSE) and need immediate assistance, dial 911.
• Do not use generators indoors.

For more safety tips, visit NYC.gov/SevereWeather. Before and during an emergency, the City will send emergency alerts and updates to New Yorkers through various channels including Notify NYC, the City's free emergency notification system. Through Notify NYC, New Yorkers can receive phone calls, text messages, and/or emails alerts about traffic and transit disruptions and other emergencies. Sign up for Notify NYC to receive free emergency alerts and updates in your preferred language by visiting NYC.gov/NotifyNYC, calling 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115), following @NotifyNYC on Twitter, or getting the free Notify NYC mobile application for your Apple or Android device.  

  

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