Nor'easter is expected to bring heavy snow and coastal flooding

Heavy snow will spread across parts of the Northeast late Monday through Tuesday, with some areas expected to receive up to two inches of snow per hour, National Weather Service forecasters said.

Here are the most important things to know about the storm.

• Snow appears more likely in New York City, with more than six inches possible. It will start as rain in the city and will most likely turn to snow around morning Tuesday.

• Some uncertainty remains about when exactly precipitation will change from rain to snow in the New York metro area, which would affect final snow totals.

Snow is likely from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.

In its latest forecasts early Monday, the Weather Service said its forecasters were confident Connecticut and the Lower Hudson Valley would see at least six inches of snow.

The heaviest snow will fall in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York before reaching southern New England on Tuesday. the weather service said. As much as a foot of snow is expected in those areas, especially in the Catskills of New York and the Berkshires of Massachusetts, forecasters said.

A winter storm watch was in effect for Long Island, New York City and part of northeastern New Jersey, meaning there is a chance of heavy snow or significant ice accumulations.

Strong winds and coastal flooding will also accompany the storm. Coastal flooding is expected for the Jersey Shore and Long Island, according to the Weather Service.

a winter storm warning was stationed off Sussex County in New Jersey and Carbon and Monroe Counties in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, where winds could gust up to 35 miles per hour and snow accumulations could reach 10 inches. The storm warning applies until Tuesday at 6 p.m.

A winter storm warning was also posted for Orange and Putnam counties in New York on Tuesday from 1 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Inland northeastern New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley and southern Connecticut can expect heavy wet snow late Monday evening with accumulations of up to 10 inches, with locally higher amounts, especially north of I-84. the weather service said.

Forecasters warned that strong winds and heavy snow could damage trees and power lines.

One to five inches of snow was expected in the New York City metro area and on Long Island.

The New York State Department of Transportation said it was monitoring weather conditions and was prepared to respond with a range of heavy equipment, including 1,544 large plow trucks and 36 snow blowers.

However, other areas had slightly different preparations in mind.

Dean Ryder, owner of Thunder Ridge Ski Area in New York's Putnam County, said he was preparing for a possible influx of customers. He said the ski area could double its visitor numbers after a major snowstorm.

Thunder Ridge hosts classes that regularly attract skiers, but they are “nothing compared to a snowstorm” when it comes to getting things going, he said. “It's just about seeing it outside your window.”

Judson Jones reporting contributed.