Extended Forecast: Rain, Rain, and uhh...Rain

Sure we get some wetness, but just think of the plus side though Emil: you never have to go to sleep wondering if your house is going to be standing the next morning.

 

Currently seeing showers on Saturday / cloudy on Sunday. Vinny, what's the "official" forecast. I feel a possible run coming on.

 

Something wrong with it?

 

Jeez, you guys out west are missing all the good stuff. -

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Storm moves into Northeast, socking N.Y.
Mayor calls it 'very dangerous' and activates emergency center

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Snow started falling at noon Saturday in New York, the beginning of what weather forecasters said could be a major blizzard slamming parts of the Northeast. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg activated his emergency operations center, canceled days off and vacations for sanitation workers and warned residents to stay off the streets.

"This really is a dangerous storm that is coming in," Bloomberg said at a Saturday morning news conference. "One of the forecasters compared it to the blizzard of '96 and it can be life threatening." New Yorkers appeared to take the warning seriously, lining up at grocery and hardware stores for supplies to ride out the storm. The National Weather Service posted a blizzard warning for New York City and the surrounding area beginning at noon Saturday through midday Sunday, predicting bitterly cold temperatures, high winds and up to two feet of snow. The warning extends northeastward to Boston starting at 5 p.m. ET.

Bloomberg said his city is ready with 2,500 sanitation workers on two shifts, equipped with 1,800 pieces of equipment -- including plows and snow melters -- to clear the city's 6,300 miles of roads.

"Our hope is that by Monday morning we will have plowed every single road at least one once and an awful lot of them more than once," Bloomberg said.

"This storm is going to be particularly hard," he said. "The snow that we are expecting is light snow that will blow around. And it's very cold. When it's very cold what happens is, unfortunately is that the salt does not melt the snow."

Still, he said, the streets should be clear enough by Monday morning so "you'll be able to get to school, get to work, go shopping and do what you have to do."

Until then, he asked New Yorkers to use mass transit. Bloomberg said each inch of snow usually costs his city a million dollars to clear. "We're going to take care of this city regardless of the cost and then Monday morning I'll have to worry about how to pay for it," he said.

The mayor reminded residents of their legal duty to clear the sidewalks in front of their homes within four hours of the snowfall's end, which he said is likely to be early Sunday afternoon. Bloomberg asked residents to go beyond what is required and shovel snow away from fire hydrants and paths even if they are not in front of their homes. He also called on New Yorkers to help others in need.

"If you see somebody outside on the street and they look like they're in trouble, call 911," Bloomberg said.

Neighbors should also check on the elderly and others who live alone, he said.

"Just pick up the phone, knock on the door," Bloomberg said.

"Tragically, people can die," he said. "It is very cold. It is going to be very windy. We expect gusts up to 45 miles per hour. We could have a foot to two feet of snow. They're just predictions, but clearly it's not going to be a dusting. This is going to be a major storm."

Bloomberg said additional housing inspectors were on duty to answer reports of landlords not repairing heating or hot water in residences as required by city law. The Emergency Operations Center was opened Saturday to coordinate services for 25 agencies.

Finally, Mayor Bloomberg had a warning about child safety.

"It's a lot of fun for kids, and maybe tomorrow afternoon they can have a good time playing in the snow, but don't let them play in the streets," he said, adding that there are plenty of parks in New York for playing in the snow

 

Hopefully it's fixed by now. If not: