NEW YORK - The US north-east is forecast to get sleet and snow starting on Monday and continuing into Tuesday, after a mild winter in which the region has been spared the kinds of snowstorms that have affected other parts of the United States over the past week.

Some 10cm to over 15cm of snow is possible in interior portions of the north-east, including New Jersey, the Lower Hudson Valley and southern Connecticut, with the first flakes starting late on Monday, according to the National Weather Service in New York.

Snow-covered roads are expected to make for a slow commute on Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

Forecasters said around 2.5cm to 7.5cm of wet snow and sleet could fall in the northern areas of New York City, Long Island and parts of New Jersey, from Newark to Paramus, from Monday evening to early Tuesday before the precipitation transitions to rain in the city and along the coast.

“Snowfall amounts for the New York City/New Jersey metro and Long Island are the most uncertain,” the weather service said in a statement.

New York City recorded its first measurable snowfall of the season only on Feb 1, with less than 1.3cm recorded at Central Park, according to the weather service.

It had been 50 years since New York City waited that long for measurable snowfall.

In the past week, snow coated parts of the US, including Los Angeles County, which faced an uncharacteristic blizzard warning.

Snow and rain in Southern California posed a threat of flooding.

Simultaneously, winter weather in the Midwest resulted in at least one death and caused disruptions across several states.

More than 215,000 customers in Michigan remained without power as at Sunday night, according to PowerOutage.us.

Going into Tuesday morning, Connecticut, Rhode Island and central Massachusetts can expect about 8cm to 15cm of snow, with around 5cm to 13cm forecast across eastern Massachusetts.

About 13cm to 25cm of snow and wind gusts of up to 56kmh are expected on Monday into Tuesday in mountain areas, including the southern Adirondacks in New York, southern Green Mountains in Vermont, the Berkshires in Massachusetts and the eastern Catskills in New York, according to the National Weather Service in Albany.

“Begin needed preparations at home or with your vehicle,” forecasters said. “Travel may become difficult, so plan accordingly.”

Although New York City has been spared harsh winter weather this season, a December blizzard in Buffalo that left 1.2m of snow and brought winds that reached 112kmh left at least 40 dead and fuelled a debate about the effectiveness of the storm response.

Business has been slow for snow-ploughing and landscaping company Girl Plower, which Ms Gina Dandrea operates with her partner in Rochester, New York. They have gone to Buffalo, almost 128km away, to find work.

Their philosophy for every storm? “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” said Ms Dandrea.

That includes monitoring forecasts, fuelling trucks and mobilising drivers.

A slow snow season such as this winter’s could affect how many residential clients their company can secure in the coming year because the company’s services are contracted before stormy weather.

“For the seasons in the future, people are going to think they don’t need ploughing services because this season was a fluke year,” she said. NYTIMES