NYC School Buildings Will Close Thursday As Winter Storm Blows In

NEW YORK CITY — A major winter storm blowing into New York City will prompt the closure of public school buildings on Thursday, officials said.

In-person learning will be canceled for the 3-K, pre-K and kindergarten through fifth-graders who return to classrooms, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in a tweet. But he warned youngsters to cool down if they were excited about a snow day.

“Tomorrow will be a FULL REMOTE learning day for our students,” he tweeted.

The city entered a winter storm warning Wednesday at 2 p.m. Forecasts predict 8 to 14 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 45 mph over its course, which likely will end Thursday afternoon.

The National Weather Service, de Blasio and officials from state and local government have all warned against going on the roads.

Travel could be “very difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service warned.

The city’s Department of Education also closed Learning Bridges, Learning Labs and an assortment of after school programs, in addition to COVID-19 testing and the free meal program.

Learning Bridges and Learning Labs, after-school programs, adult education, and YABC programs will be cancelled. For safety reasons, yellow bus service for charter and non-public school students will not operate tomorrow. DOE central and field offices will remain open. https://t.co/39HqAbyCwa
— NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) December 16, 2020

Parents can find updates on a number of city sites:

1. Follow the Department of Education Twitter feed
2. Check out the DOE Facebook page
3. Keep tabs on the DOE Homepage
4. Follow the NYC Emergency Management Twitter feed
5. Check the NYC.gov website.

You can also subscribe to the New York City Patch newsletter to get updates in your inbox on New York City weather alerts, school closures and local stories.

The National Weather Service forecast for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday is:

Wednesday afternoon
Snow likely, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 33. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. Northeast wind around 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Wednesday night
Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 30. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Windy, with a northeast wind 22 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 9 to 13 inches possible.

Thursday
Snow likely, mainly before 9am. Partly sunny, with a steady temperature around 31. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. Windy, with a north wind 24 to 29 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Thursday night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. North wind 9 to 11 mph.