Slow thunder! First nor'easter of 2024 blankets New York state in snow – with excited Big Apple residents sharing their disappointment as white stuff melts instantly

Flurries fell over New York City before melting, while the state's neighbors saw blankets of snow descending as the first nor'eas of 2024 developed.

Winter Storm Ember brought the first significant snowfall of the season to parts of the East on Saturday – which according to The Weather Channel.

Residents of the Northeast have been bracing for a snowstorm that was expected to bring blizzards and more than a foot of snow to major cities.

But while many expected soft snow, the reality for New Yorkers late Saturday afternoon was sleet, freezing rain and snow that melted quickly as it hit the ground.

New York City has been in a snow drought for nearly 700 days — and this weekend's showers are not expected to break that streak.

Fox Weather meteorologist Marissa Lautenbacher urged New Yorkers not to get their hopes up The mail “I don't think we're going to get the inch that would break the snow drought streak.

“New York and Philly are both right on that freezing line, so we're really just going to get a sloppy mix of precipitation — there's some flakes mixed in, but it's going to be mostly rain,” she said.

Meanwhile, the snowstorm blanketed areas between eastern Missouri and the southern Great Lakes with as much as four inches of snow, while parts of Indianapolis and St. Louis each saw two inches of snow.

Snow-white snow fell in New York State, as did areas in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The storm is expected to bring a mix of rain and snow to New England through early Sunday.

Storm Ember will drift from the northeast later in the day on Sunday, but the snow, rain and wind will linger.

Experts predict five to twelve inches of snow will fall in southern and central New England, including parts of the Boston, Providence and Hartford metro areas.

Areas like Cape Cod and Long Island will only see a mix of rain and snow – or possibly just rain.

Rhode Island and Massachusetts are expected to see the heaviest snowfall from the winter storm system starting Saturday evening, between 6 and 12 inches in some areas.

Parts of south-central and southwestern Maine and central, northern and southern New Hampshire are also expected to get 24 to 30 inches of snow over 24 hours beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Dangerous travel conditions and power outages are possible due to intense weather expected to develop over the weekend, experts say.

Heavy sleet and flooding are forecast beginning Saturday evening in the boroughs of Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn and southern Queens.

The National Weather Service has advised New Yorkers not to drive through these regions.

Bob Van Dillen, a Fox Weather meteorologist who worked for Central New York television stations in the late 1990s, said, “You've got four to watch over the next 10 days.

“You have a new year and a new set of thunderstorms.

'You get a shot at the weekend and then an uppercut on Tuesday. Whatever snow you get in the first storm will melt, and then you can add another 1 to 2 inches of rain.

“I'm also concerned about power outages during that second storm. You are talking about wind speeds of up to 60 km/h or sometimes even almost 80 km/h.'

Although the forecaster has predicted that Friday's storm will be mild, narrow and short-lived compared to the previous two.

The final snowstorm is expected to arrive late next weekend or early the week of January 15.

“Looking at the long-range forecasts, there is another storm coming from the south, but this one looks like it could be rain or snow,” Van Dillen said. “That's a good 10 to 12 days out. We don't have to worry about that yet.'