STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — When can New York residents expect the first impact of this inbound winter storm?

Well, it depends on where you live.

Those in Western New York can expect this snowfall to begin sometime late Saturday afternoon. However, that’s not the case for the entire state, as explained by Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.

Central and Eastern New York, including New York City, should expect the first sight of snow sometime between 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday evening.

For much of upstate New York, this system will pack on several inches of snow accumulation.

“Between Glens Falls and Newburgh, that’s probably the zone that gets the most snow, and that would extend westward over to the Syracuse area, Watertown, New York, the southern half of the Adirondacks and that would also include the Catskills as well,” Kines explained.

This National Weather Service graphic shows forecast snowfall amounts in Central New York and the Capital District from Saturday, Feb. 8, through Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.(Courtesy of the National Weather Service)

Kines shared that he thinks the heaviest snowfall will find itself along the New York Thruway from Albany to Syracuse. Some of these tallies could end up in the range of 8 to 10 inches of accumulation.

Down in New York City, that snowfall estimate varies. Kines believes the city will see anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of snow, while the National Weather Service foresees an accumulation amount between 3 and 5 inches.

While the city will see some snow stack up on the ground, the precipitation is expected to change into a wintry mix of snow and sleet sometime around midnight, as indicated by the Weather Service.

This National Weather Service graphic shows the snowfall forecast for New York City from Saturday, Feb. 8, through Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.(Courtesy of the National Weather Service)

The storm is expected to move out of the New York City area before sunrise Sunday morning. Poughkeepsie and areas north should expect dry conditions to prevail after 10 or 11 a.m. on Sunday, according to Kines.

In preparing for this weather event, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency to improve resource coordination with local authorities. Additionally, the weather service has issued winter weather warnings and advisories for nearly the entire state.