Local storm-watchers, including the intrepid local weather pros at Hudson Valley Weather, have recently updated their forecasts to include even more hazardous weather than previously forecast.
The pre-Christmas storm is forecast to include hazards of nearly every kind related to winter weather: Wind, heavy rain, isolated flooding, sleet, snow, flash freezing, and dangerous wind chills.
Hudson Valley Weather is calling for the storm to arrive slightly earlier than expected (Thursday afternoon), potentially starting as snow (especially in higher elevations) followed by freezing rain and a possible period of icing as the rain arrives. With many drivers out and about for last-minute holiday shopping, the timing of the storm presents a challenge to traffic safety.
Forecasters say “scattered tree damage and outages” are likely, with wind gusts up to 55MPH at higher elevations. A wintry mix is expected to turn to rain early Friday, with the arrival of “flash freeze” conditions Friday afternoon as temperatures drop.
Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation (a subsidiary of multi-billion-dollar energy conglomerate Fortis) sent a press release warning customers to “prepare for a powerful cold front that could bring damaging winds and heavy rain to the area Thursday night and throughout much of the day on Friday. They reminded locals to stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines while outlining the steps being taken to prepare in response to the weather’s potential to disrupt energy distribution.
“In addition to our full complement of internal and contract crews, we have secured nearly 100 additional mutual assistance line workers and we are maintaining regular contact with local emergency responders,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations at Central Hudson. “If outages occur, we will be ready to address them as efficiently and safely as possible.”
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