New York state is under a state of emergency amid a winter storm that is bringing heavy snow and strong winds to the city. 

The first flakes from the storm began falling Friday evening. As of 8 a.m. Saturday, 5.3 inches had fallen in Central Park and at LaGuardia Airport. JFK Airport had seen 5.1 inches.

The NY1 forecast projects 8 to 12 inches of snow to fall in the city, with the highest amounts expected in southern and central Queens.

Sustained winds are expected to reach up to 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, according to officials at a Friday afternoon press conference. 

Mayor Eric Adams urged people to stay off the roads, if possible.

“We are asking people to use public transportation,” Mayor Eric Adams said on Friday. “As I say over and over again, we have one of the best public transportation systems.”

Speaking to NY1 on Saturday morning, Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson called it a "tough storm" and warned residents that the roads will be slick today.

"We have passable streets," Grayson said. "Passable is not blacktop, but we're going to continue to methodically get through the over 6,500 miles of New York City road."

"It's gonna take a while. We want to remind everyone watching that they should not expect to see blacktop anytime soon today," he added. "Our main goal is keeping these roads passable for emergency vehicles, critical travel. If New Yorkers can, only travel if it's absolutely essential."

Jamie McShane, Con Edison’s director of media relations, told NY1 there were “very few [power] outages” across the city as of Saturday morning.

Subway service as of Saturday morning was "operating well," according to MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber. 

"The one impact of the snow is that A trains are stopping at Lefferts, service to the Rockaways is a shuttle bus," Lieber told NY1. "And we've added bus service to make sure people in the Rockaways can get back and forth to the A train."

Northbound F and G trains were also running with delays due to a train with a mechanical problem at the Fourth Avenue/Ninth Street station in Brooklyn, the MTA tweeted.

Service on the 7 train line, meanwhile, was delayed in both directions due to weather-related signal problems, according to the MTA. And some southbound N and Q trains were running along the R line between Manhattan and Brooklyn due to "heavy snowfall" on the Manhattan Bridge.

All Long Island Rail Road service was suspended starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, according to the MTA.

The MTA said Metro-North would see reduced service, with the Wassaic, Danbury, New Canaan and Waterbury branches suspended Saturday.

Amtrak said Saturday that all Acela service between Washington and Boston had been canceled, along with all Northeast Regional and Vermonter service between Boston and New York. There is limited Northeast Regional service between New York and Washington, D.C. and points south, Amtrak said. 

New York City Emergency Management issued a hazardous travel advisory Friday afternoon that will be in effect through Saturday.

Acting New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell urged New Yorkers experiencing heat and hot water complaints to call 311. She also urged people to call 311 if they see any downed trees.

“We have the downed tree task force on alert should the high winds start to bring down a significant number of trees,” she said.

Department of Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson said the department has been preparing for the storm over several days. 

Over 700 miles of the city’s roadways have been pre-treated with liquid brine, and over 700 salt spreaders have been pre-deployed, he said. 

The city has 280,000 tons of salt storage, and Grayson said the city has been applying product throughout the day on city streets and will continue doing so throughout the storm.

“Our capacity for this storm is not a problem,” he said.

The snow is a fine, powder-y type of snow due to the cold temperatures. This, coupled with strong winds, can create serious concerns for safety.

“This could lead to blizzard-like conditions and whiteout conditions, so we want to make sure that you really heed the travel warning and do the best you can to stay off the road, especially during the peak snowfall times and when you see that wind blowing,” Grayson said. “It’s going to be dangerous.”

Mayor Adams also said the city has implemented "Code Blue Weather Emergency" notice, meaning anyone who is unsheltered in New York City will not be denied shelter.

"We want to be compassionate for those living on the streets or in terrible conditions, where they don't have appropriate places to go during the cold weather," the mayor said.

Adams encouraged people to call 311 if they see someone they think is in need.

Other impacted services and announcements:

• All Long Island Rail Road service is suspended starting at 8 a.m. Saturday. Subways and buses are currently expected to run on their normal schedules, according to the governor.
• Open streets and outdoor dining is suspended Saturday.
• Alternate side parking is suspended through next Tuesday, Feb. 1.
• All Department of Education-sponsored activities and all extended-use permits, including adult education, special education, PSAL, are canceled Saturday.
• NYC Health + Hospitals COVID-19 testing sites close at 5 p.m. Friday and are closed Saturday.
• COVID-19 vaccination appointments scheduled for Saturday will be rescheduled for Sunday.
• Staten Island Ferry service will run hourly between 11 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday, instead of every half hour.
• Alternate Side Parking is suspended Saturday, but parking meters will remain in effect.
• All five Wildlife Conservation Society parks—The Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium – are closed Saturday as well. 
• The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is closed Saturday due to the snow.
• All branches of The Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, and The Queens Public Library closed at 5 p.m. Friday, and remain closed on Saturday.

NY1 spotted several New Yorkers stocking up on supplies Friday night at stores in Queens.

Shoppers at a Home Depot in Sunnyside had snow removal on the mind.

"Got some paper towels for the house, shovels, salt,” said George Elia, who shopped at Home Depot.

"I got a shovel and some miscellaneous tools for gardening at home," said shopper Alison Bade.

Shoppers at a Stop & Shop in the area said having the right groceries ahead of a storm makes all the difference.

“Make sure I have enough snacks, breakfast food, meat, juice, water,” said shopper Felicia Womack.  

Shopper Dawn Irizarry hit the grocery store right after leaving her job.

“I don’t have to work tomorrow, so I want to be home, in, and watching movies, enjoy my food, my snacks,” she said.