Winter storm predicted all day Wednesday, likely to impact Thanksgiving travel

[UPDATE—-As of Wednesday morning’s forecast, the storm is now expected to begin as rain for a period of time before transitioning to a mix and then snow. Most of Rockland is still forecast to receive 6″ of snow]

A winter storm is projected to reach Rockland County on Wednesday morning and continue into Thursday, creating potential problems for Thanksgiving travelers in the Lower Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey.

A winter storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service on Monday for parts of the Lower Hudson Valley and New Jersey. The storm is expected to begin with a wet mix of now and rain on Wednesday morning before it becomes all snow on Wednesday afternoon. Snowfall will continue into the night before tapering off early on Thursday.

With about 6 to 10 inches expected to accumulate on the road, the snowfall is expected to “significantly impact holiday travel,” according to the NWS. The freezing rain-which is expected to turn into snowfall as the storm moves up into New England-could create additional problems with icy roadways.

Conditions on Thursday are expected to be clear, but with the possibility of below freezing temperatures and continued winds, slush on the road could ice over and remain a danger to drivers well into Thanksgiving night.

Among the affected areas are Rockland, Northern Westchester, Orange and Putnam Counties in New York. Passaic, Western Esssex and Western Bergen County are also expected to be affected by the snowfall.