NYC Under Winter Weather Advisory As Freezing Rain Looms

NEW YORK CITY — The threat of freezing rain prompted a winter weather advisory for New York City and grounded 900 flights into the region.

Rain could turn to ice Friday afternoon as temperatures fall below freezing, according to the National Weather Service.

The expected wintry mix of rain, freezing rain and sleet prompted a spate of warnings — first a hazardous weather outlook, then the winter weather advisory and, finally, a citywide travel advisory into Saturday.

"Freezing rain will impact the morning and evening commute, and we encourage New Yorkers to make adjustments to their travel plans,” said Christina Farrell, the city's acting emergency management commissioner, in a statement. “We encourage all New Yorkers to use mass transit, allow for extra travel time, and exercise caution.”

New York City looks to be spared the brunt of an "expansive winter storm" that moved across the Midwest into the East Coast, according to the National Weather Service.

Gov. Kathy Hochul held a briefing Friday warning of hazards from rain, snow and freezing rain, especially upstate.

"Our biggest concern right is ice on the roads," she said.

But still the weather in New York City through most of Friday won't be pleasant.

About 2 inches of rain total is expected throughout the day, city emergency management officials warned. This rainfall, along with snowmelt, will re-freeze Friday afternoon and evening, they said.

"This, combined with the freezing rain, will create icy conditions on the road into Saturday," they warned.

The winter weather advisory states New York City's ice from freezing rain likely will be a "light glaze."

"Freezing rain will likely not develop until early afternoon across the metro area, possibly by late morning across the Bronx," the advisory states. "The south shore of Queens may be as late as 4 pm."

The storm is expected to end later Friday, but its effects have already been widespread.

Freezing rain prompted grounded hundreds of planes into the New York City area. LaGuardia Airport and Newark International Airport had 361 and 348 flights, respectively, were grounded as of 9 a.m., according to the data-tracking service Flight Aware. An additional 164 flights were canceled at John F. Kennedy International Airport, data shows.

Here's the complete National Weather Service forecast:

Friday
Rain or freezing rain before 5pm, then rain, freezing rain, and sleet likely. Patchy fog between 10am and 11am. Temperature falling to around 30 by 5pm. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. North wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night
Freezing rain and sleet likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Wind chill values between 15 and 20. North wind 13 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Saturday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Northwest wind 16 to 18 mph.

Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 17. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 32. Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a steady temperature around 30.

Monday
Partly sunny, with a high near 41.

Monday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.

Tuesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 29.

Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 43.

Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 46

Patch writer Kayla Levy contributed to this report.