What is a snow squall? Warnings issued for NYC through 415pm

The National Weather Service has issued a Snow Squall Warning for the NYC Metro Area until 4:15pm. An emergency alert was pushed to cell phones throughout area earlier this afternoon.

A snow squall is a concentrated area of heavy snow which can produce reduced visibility and strong wind gusts. Snow can accumulate quickly on all surfaces and travel can become dangerous.

Snow squall warnings are a relatively new product of the National Weather Service, which debuted on November 1st, 2018. The criteria for the warning is:

• Reduced visibility less than 1/4 mile
• Subfreezing temperatures on the ground
• Duration less than 60 minutes

The snow squall is expected to impact the NYC Metro area shortly after 4:00pm, and may move eastward to impact Long Island as well.