Update (Thursday, 9 p.m.): The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office has announced a travel advisory for the whole county, lasting until 12 p.m. Friday, as a result of the ongoing storm.
Sheriff Derek Osborne stated in an alert that the forecast is calling for five inches of snow to accumulate overnight Thursday.
So far, Ithaca City School District and New Roots Charter School have announced that their classes are canceled Friday. If any other schools have canceled classes that aren’t listed here, let us know at tips@ithacavoice.com.
Update (11:30 a.m.): Though the snow has not started in Ithaca quite yet, forecasts are worsening and schools have begun to send students home.
The National Weather Service is now calling for 6-13 inches of snow, up from its calls last night of 2-6 inches as well as up to a tenth of an inch of ice. The precipitation is scheduled to fall until around Friday evening, and winds are projected to be up to 35 miles per hour.
Odd-even parking is in effect in the City of Ithaca for street parkers.
The Ithaca City School District announced that secondary students will be sent home at 12 p.m. due to “pending inclement weather.” At this time, elementary schools are still scheduled to dismiss at their normally scheduled time, meaning there are no changes to that schedule. All after-school and evening activities are canceled and there will be no late buses, according to the district.
Additionally, Tompkins Cortland Community College’s facilities will be closing at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
More updates are sure to follow.
Original Story:
TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y.—The first significant snowfall of the year appears poised to arrive in Ithaca early Thursday morning, nearly in rush hour, and continue until as late as Friday evening.
Winter Storm Diaz is projected to get to the area around 7 a.m. on Thursday morning, continuing on until potentially 7 p.m. Friday, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. Other projections have the precipitation holding off until around noon Thursday.
Either way, throughout that period, forecasters are estimating that there will be between 2-7 inches of snow, depending on the service. Ice could also be an issue due to wet snow and fluctuating temperatures, as it is currently well below freezing on Wednesday evening and won’t rise above freezing until late Thursday morning, according to forecasts.
“Heavy mixed precipitation expected,” according to Accuweather. “Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches and ice accumulations of around one-tenth of an inch. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph.”
The National Weather Service also states that travel could be difficult at periods during the storm, and that “hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute.”
The service also notes that the snow will be heavy and wet, meaning downed branches could be an added obstacle to travel.