Meteorologists at the Hudson Valley Weather Service in New Paltz tracking a highly active high or low pressure system report our area could be catastrophically impacted or completely spared by an historic or totally unremarkable snow- or non-event due to slam the coast or drift quietly out to sea sometime soon or maybe never.
“This has the potential to be a very significant blizzard, with whiteout conditions, black-ice, thundersnow and a morning commute verging on deadly,” said Alex Potter of the website Weather of the Hudson Valley. “Or it might turn out to be a beautiful sunny day.”
Potter added that the valley’s diverse geography could result in very different conditions on the ground.
“In one town, you might see only a light dusting of snow, and just one mile up the road, they’ll be buried under several feet and calling for the National Guard.”
Central Hudson is advising customers to fully charge electronic communication devices, make sure they have fresh batteries in their flashlights, several days supply of canned and other foods that don’t require refrigeration, and to fill bathtubs and other containers to assure an adequate reserve supply of water. “But then, all that might not really be necessary, and you’ll seem kind of silly standing in line for bread and milk with the other alarmists,” stated a press release.
Local school superintendents are watching the developing situation closely, and are expected to make their decisions soon whether to close schools, which in retrospect will seem like either an obvious move or a total overreaction.
Meanwhile, many residents are hunkering down, compulsively checking the Weather of the Hudson Valley Facebook page for updates and on-the-ground observations.
“It’s an art and a science,” said Potter, of meteorology. “There are a lot of ins and outs, what-have-yous. In weather, things are never as they appear to be… nor are they otherwise.”
