This weekend we may be trading in our routine precipitation for some actual snow instead! Meteorologists have been closely following the track of an incoming storm that’s expected to affect areas on the East Coast beginning Saturday and into Sunday. If snow greater than an inch were to fall, this would break NYC’s nearly 700 day streak without significant snowfall.
And though some New Yorkers are delighted by the idea of snow finally falling, what does this all mean for weekend transit?
According to the MTA, underground tracks are unaffected by rain and snowstorms (we say this lightly as we all remember the pools of water filling subway stations during previous storms, and in this case if heavy rain breaches into the system the MTA will be fast acting to remove the water), the same can’t be said for the nearly 220 miles of outdoor track across the boroughs.
“Metro-North crews will be prepositioned throughout the system as we monitor conditions for the duration of the storm, with the ability to respond quickly to any issues,” said Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi. “Customers, particularly those in the northern regions of Metro-North territory, should plan extra travel time and use TrainTime for real-time updates if they expect to travel this weekend.”
Outdoor tracks on lines including The Rockaway , Sea Beach
, Flushing
, Brighton
and Dyre Av
will be the most vulnerable to weather disruption this weekend. The MTA may even relocate subway trains underground for storage to prevent them from being blocked in yards.
Emergency response equipment (emergency trucks, deployable pumps, debris trains, pump trains and de-icer trains) will be prepared for deployment upon icy or flooding conditions.
For more information on how other modes of transportation and roadways (ie. buses, bridges, tunnels) are preparing for the weekend weather, you can see here.