Winter Storm Warning in Effect for Rye Area

Rye, like most of Westchester, is covered in snow. Unfortunately, the storm isn't over. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for today:

Southern Westchester is getting heavy snow and has near blizzard conditions, with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour and wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour. Visibility below a quarter mile can be expected. Motorists should use extreme caution and avoid all non-essential travel. 

Snow Cancels School and Athletic Events

Both the Rye and Blind Brook-Rye Union Free school districts have announced that all schools are closed today and all school activities are cancelled. Private schools in the area are also closed. The Blind Brook Lady Trojans were scheduled to play in a semi-final playoff game tonight at the County Center, but that game has been cancelled and rescheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m. The Rye Garnets ice hockey game against Sleepy Hollow/Irvington has also been postponed from tonight at 7:30 p.m. until Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Playland Ice Casino.

Local Government

Rye City Hall is open regular hours today and will close at 5 p.m. Rye Brook Village Hall is also open and operating normal hours. 

Rye City has cancelled  garbage and recycling collection today, but normal collection will resume on Monday. Rye Brook has also cancelled garbage collection and will resume these services on Monday.

Libraries

Rye Free Reading Room is closed today, as is the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library. 

Public transportation

For Metro-North's special storm schedule, click here. 

There will be no Bee-Line bus or ParaTransit service on Friday.

Power outages 

Con Edison reported that crews are responding to outages caused by heavy snow that knocked trees and limbs into power lines throughout its service area. 

As of 7 a.m., the company was reporting approximately 28,000 customer outages in Westchester County and approximately 2,300 in New York City. As of this morning, the company has restored approximately 4,000 customers of the 32,000 customers in Westchester County that were affected since the start of the storm on Thursday.  Crews are evaluating damage, but as the snow storm continues, additional outages may occur.

The company will issue estimated restoration times based on storm conditions. Dangerous conditions on roads throughout Westchester County are hampering crews' responses to power outages.

If you lose power, notify the company by calling 1-800-75CONED or visiting www.conEd.com (for storm tips, scroll down to the end of this report). 

We will be updating this story as information becomes available, so check back for more. 

The National Weather Service's full report

Today: Snow. High near 32. Breezy, with a southwest wind 18 to 21 mph becoming east 9 to 12 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. 

Tonight: Periods of snow. Low around 32. South wind between 5 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. 

Saturday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 36. West wind between 8 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. 

Saturday Night: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind between 8 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. West wind between 7 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday Night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Con Edison offers storm tips

• Stay indoors. If you must go outside, stay away from downed and dangling lines. Treat all downed lines as if they are live and dangerous. Never attempt to move them or touch them with any object. Be mindful that downed wires can be hidden from view by snow, tree limbs, leaves or water.  
• Report all downed wires to Con Edison and your local police department immediately. If a power line falls on your car while you're in it, stay inside the vehicle and wait for emergency personnel.  
• If your power goes out, disconnect or turn off appliances that would otherwise turn on automatically when service is restored. If several appliances start up at once, the electric circuits may overload. 
• Check to make sure your flashlights and any battery-operated radios or televisions are in working order. Use candles and oil lamps with care. Also, make sure you have a supply of extra batteries. Weather updates and news on restorations of electrical service can be heard on most local radio and television stations.