The brutal cold may be gone for now, but the weather is still expected to throw some curve balls in the New York City area this week, according to the National Weather Service.
Dense fog during Wednesday morning’s commute could make for difficult travel conditions, including visibility under a quarter-mile at times, the agency said.
NWS is urging drivers to slow down, use high beam lights and leave plenty of distance in front of them until the fog clears out around 10 a.m. City officials said the Staten Island Ferry will operate on a modified schedule throughout the morning, with departures every 20 minutes, because of the foggy conditions.
Officials are also warning New Yorkers about elevated air pollution levels through midnight Wednesday.
New York state’s Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality alert, meaning the Air Quality Index is predicted to be greater than 100 for fine particulate matter. That creates a potential risk for children and people with preexisting health issues, officials said, recommending that residents consider limiting strenuous activity outdoors.
As for precipitation, meteorologists said light rain will move in Wednesday morning and linger into the evening.
“[We’re] not expecting the rain to really be heavy — more of like a light to maybe very brief moderate rain,” James Tomasini at NWS said.
The rain is forecast to stick around Thursday night into Friday, before the weekend brings another storm that could come with snow. But Tomasini said it’s too early to be certain.
“The system and the latest guidance has trended a little bit further offshore to the east, but we’re continuing to monitor those trends,” he said.
The storm’s current trajectory puts the chance of snow at about 50% for Sunday night, he added.
Temperatures through Saturday will bring a welcome relief from the Arctic air that gripped New York over the past several weeks, according to NWS. Highs are expected to be in the 40s, and lows around the mid-30s.
