Above: A snowstorm forecast from the Weather Channel broadcast on Thursday morning. From the Weather Channel's YouTube channel.
A nor'easter in the forecast for Friday and Saturday -- dubbed "Nemo" by the Weather Channel -- promises to bury upstate New York under a blanket of snow, and drop two feet or more across much of New England.
(Our sister website in Boston -- Universal Hub, a local news site run by Watershed Post web architect Adam Gaffin -- has issued a Severe French Toast Alert for the region. For the uninitiated, Universal Hub's French Toast Alert System was "developed in consultation with local and federal emergency officials to help you determine when to panic and rush to the store to buy milk, eggs and bread.")
The National Weather Service stations in Albany and Binghamton have issued winter storm watches for the Catskills region, in effect through Saturday. Snowfall is expected to begin in the region on Friday morning, and will become increasingly heavy throughout Friday afternoon, possibly reaching rates of an inch per hour.
An alert from NWS Albany predicts accumulations of 9 inches or more on Friday across their forecast area, which includes Ulster, Greene and Schoharie Counties. NWS Binghamton, whose territory covers Sullivan and Delaware Counties, predicts 6 to 10 inches, with more than a foot possible in the Western Catskills. In the warmer valley areas of the Southern Tier, snow may shift over to rain for awhile on Friday as the temperature climbs into the upper 30s.
As in any snowstorm, there will be a lot of local variation in snowfall. A good resource to keep an eye on for local conditions is Hudson Valley Weather, a Facebook page with over 32,000 readers who often post local weather and road conditions in their area as weather emergencies unfold.
We want to hear from you, too, as the storm progresses. What's the weather like near you? Do you have word on local road closings or accidents? Are you French Toast-ready? Let us and your neighbors know by leaving a comment below, or emailing us at editor@watershedpost.com.
Update, 3:45pm: Storm watches issued earlier by NWS Albany and Binghamton have been upgraded to storm warnings. NWS Binghamton is now calling for over a foot of snow in Eastern Delaware and Sullivan Counties, and NWS Albany is calling for 10 to 16 inches in the Eastern Catskills and Schoharie Valley.
