With winter storm shift, heavy snow expected in mid-Hudson Valley Tuesday: What to know

On Feb. 2, groundhog Staten Island Chuck gave his yearly forecast and predicted an early spring. Even so, winter weather is heading for the mid-Hudson Valley Tuesday.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook and winter storm warning from 1 a.m. Tuesday morning to 7 p.m. for Dutchess and Ulster counties.

Snow will fall the heaviest, up to 2 inches per hour, late Monday night into Tuesday morning.

How much snow will we get and where will the storm hit?

The National Weather Service predicts 7 to 13 inches of snow to fall, with 35 mph wind gusts for western and eastern Dutchess and Ulster counties.

The winter storm impacts the cities of Ellenville, Woodstock, West Hurley, West Shokan, Kerhonkson, Napanoch, Sundown, Kingston, New Paltz, Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Arlington, Pawling, Wingdale, Dover Plains, Millbrook, Stanfordville, Pine Plains and Amenia.

For Poughkeepsie, AccuWeather forecasts 6 to 10 inches of snow, starting from Tuesday morning at 1 a.m. to the afternoon at 3 p.m.

Orange County snowfall predictions

A winter storm warning and hazardous weather outlook have been issued for western Orange County from 1 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

For Orange County, according to the National Weather Service, expect heavy snowfall, with predictions of 9 to 12 inches of snow.

Warnings for travel: Morning commute impact

The National Weather Service states commutes may be affected in the morning as well as the evening, and travel could be difficult to impossible.

Travelers are advised to bring supplies like a flashlight, food and water, in case of an emergency. Dutchess County Emergency Management advised all residents to avoid any unnecessary travel, as roads will be extremely hazardous. They also asked residents to plan accordingly, as wind gusts may lead to downed power lines, fallen tree branches and power outages.

In Middletown, note there is no parking on city streets when there's 2 and a half inches of snow or more, to ensure safe plowing.

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Winter storm NY: How much snow will mid-Hudson Valley get