“New York Area experiences strong winds following a recent snowstorm that left 17 inches of snow in some areas”

NEW YORK — The strongest winter storm of the season besieged the tri-state area with snow and/or rain (depending on your location) over the course of a roughly 36-hour siege that only began to wind down early Wednesday after dumping nearly a a foot and a half of snow in parts of New York, and a scraping of sleet, or less, in others.

Wednesday starts off windy with temperatures in the 40s, although it will be sunny. It comes after 40 to 50 mph gusts battered coastal areas in New Jersey, Connecticut and Long Island overnight. The New Jersey shoreline, completely devoid of snow from the latest storm, experienced some of the most intense gusts on Tuesday, topping 50 mph.

Lingering snow had turned into sporadic flakes overnight, following steady and consistent snowfall on Tuesday, but temperatures dropped meaning roads could be icy in some places on Wednesday, especially in areas that received the most snow.

How much snow did we get?

Parts of the Hudson Valley and northern New Jersey suffered more than a foot, and it was a heavy snow that knocked out power that left more than 34,000 customers in the tri-state in the dark and disrupted travel plans for millions in the Northeast.

Here’s a look at some of the largest totals from across the triple state, with New York’s Mount Carmel seeing the most as of Tuesday night: 17 inches!

New York City was once again left out of the snow party. Central Park logged a trace and other parts of the five boroughs logged maybe some sleet. A little further inland, the counties of Hudson Valley, Westchester and Fairfield saw between 2 and 6 inches of snow. Points that saw more rain first saw lower totals.

Although snowfall totals didn’t set records even in the hardest-hit areas, it was so heavy that a foot and a half felt more like 3 feet. Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose hometown of Buffalo was devastated by the deadliest snowstorm in decades late last year, declared a state of emergency in New York ahead of the storm. She also activated the National Guard to assist as needed. Governor Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency in several New Jersey counties.

Hochul’s emergency order remains in effect for affected counties as additional snow and especially wind will produce hazardous travel conditions through Wednesday morning. However, the New York State Police and the state Department of Transportation have lifted all previous restrictions on empty and tandem tractor-trailers that began Monday.

Whats Next? Check the 10 day forecast

Temperatures rise again the rest of the week, with highs expected in the 50s Thursday through Saturday and a cloudy but dry forecast for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City on Friday. The chance of rain returns Friday night through Saturday morning. And spring begins next week.