Don’t let the sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 50s fool you. The National Weather Service is forecasting that will abruptly change as wacky weather approaches tonight.
Snow squalls, whiteout conditions, thunder, sleet, hail, strong winds, and a flash freeze are all in store for some areas tonight, according to National Weather Service meteorologists. This is all courtesy of an intense Arctic cold front that will rapidly move across the region this evening.
For Orange County, a Hazardous Weather Outlook has been issued for the possibility of brief moderate to heavy snow showers. The snow could briefly lower visibility to less than one mile and may lead to slippery roads.
For Ulster and Sullivan Counties, conditions could be even more bizarre.
For Ulster County, a Special Weather Statement explains that an initial period of rain will quickly change to snow or sleet with embedded snow squalls. Those squalls could contain a few rumbles of thunder and perhaps an isolated thunderstorm. Some small hail or graupel will be possible in these storms, according to the NWS. Wind gusts up to 40 to 50 mph are expected to accompany falling snow. This could lead to rapid reductions to visibility and dangerous travel conditions, especially on high-speed highways. A flash freeze is also possible and could lead to icy roads.
For Sullivan County, a Special Weather Statement cautions that conditions could become dangerous before 10:00pm. An initial period of heavy rain will quickly turn to a burst of heavy snow as temperatures rapidly drop below freezing, the NWS explained. A rumble of thunder will be possible as wind gusts could reach 50 mph. This combination could lead to whiteouts with near zero visibility, along with a potential flash freeze on roadways, creating dangerous travel conditions.
Live weather alerts, live radar, real-time weather conditions, the 7-day forecast, and much more can be seen at The Newburgh News Weather Center’s weather tower here.
