Hochul Declares State Of Emergency For Parts Of Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in advance of the heavy snow and blizzard conditions forecast for much of the metropolitan region.

The state of emergency will go into effect at 8 p.m. Friday for Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties in the Hudson Valley.

It also applies to Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond and Suffolk counties.

Hochul said the declaration was issued "out of an abundance of caution" because the storm is poised to create dangerous travel conditions, heavy snowfall rates and sustained winds over 50 mph Friday night into Saturday.

"My team and I are laser focused on the forecast and we've been deploying emergency response assets ahead of the storm to assist with response efforts in the downstate areas," she said in a news release.

"Get home safely tonight, remain home over the weekend, avoid any unnecessary travel," Hochul said, "and our crews will safely clear the road."

A winter storm warning is currently in effect for Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties. The National Weather Service said there is still some uncertainty regarding the storm's exact track and that snowfall totals may shift in future forecasts.

Metro-North Railroad

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it will suspend Long Island Rail Road service. By 8 a.m. Saturday, all trains will be in their final terminals.

However, Metro-North Railroad will operate hourly service Saturday on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines. All service will be suspended on the New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branches in Connecticut and the Wassaic Branch in New York.

West of Hudson service will operate on a normal weekend schedule. Previously scheduled track work on the Pascack Valley Line has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5. Customers should anticipate scattered delays due to the weather.

According to the MTA, snow-fighting equipment has been winterized, tested and positioned strategically around the system. There are third-rail scraper shoes on its electric trains to clear snow and ice off electrified third rails.

Customers should check new.mta.info as well the MYmta app for updates and modified emergency schedules.

Bee-Line Service

For the remainder of Friday, all Bee-Line trips will operate on a regular schedule.

For Saturday, Bee-Line buses and ParaTransit service will be suspended.

Service will operate as scheduled Sunday. Be sure to monitor Bee-Line service alerts for snow detours.