Some areas will be on track to receive 8-10 inches of snow in the heaviest bands, but sleet has compromised the storm for other areas more than expected, holding down totals in New York City and points south and west.
RELATED | Live blog with latest snow storm updates
The storm is powerful but fast-moving and front-loaded, at times delivering as much as 2 to even 2 1/2 inches an hour of snow at its peak intensity for some areas.
The worst of the storm began around 7 p.m. Friday, and one more burst of heavier snow is expected to bring an additional 1-4 inches of snow for parts of the Tri-State until about 2 a.m. Saturday, especially off to the north and east, before lingering light snow gradually tapers off by late morning.
The snow greatly reduced visibility Friday night, making travel treacherous across the entire region.
The Winter Storm Warning was dropped for central New Jersey, where totals may only reach a coating to 2 inches. It will continue for New York City and areas to the north and east through late morning and midday hours on Saturday.
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As for overall snow totals, 8-10 inches are expected to accumulate in parts of Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Putnam, northern Westchester and Fairfield counties, even extending into the east end of Long Island. New York City is right on the 4-inch line, with a little less across parts of Staten Island and Brooklyn, and a lot less south of I-78.
The storm is an Alberta Clipper which has been infused with energy from the Pacific storms delivering an atmospheric river of rain to the West Coast. As this system crashes into the cold air in our area, it will squeeze out a lot of snow in a hurry. Meteorologist Jeff Smith describes the system as an "Alberta Clipper on steroids."
Temperatures will stay cold on Saturday, barely rising above the freezing mark, even as snow tapers off, meaning there will be minimal melting.
Temperatures rise into the 40s on Sunday along with some rain and an icy mix north and west, but the reprieve will be short-lived as an Arctic blast blows in for the early part of the final few days of 2025.
This is a developing story. It will be regularly refreshed with the latest updates from the Channel 7 Eyewitness News AccuWeather team. Check back for the very latest forecasts.
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