A new storm was closing on the Northeast Wednesday, prompting more evacuation warnings in the wake of superstorm Sandy, and threatening to dump up to a foot of snow, NBC News reported. "Mother Nature is not cutting us a break along the East Coast," winter weather expert Tom Niziol told The Weather Channel of the nor’easter, which he named Athena. The Weather Channel was forecasting three inches of snow and 30 mph wind gusts in Philadelphia, a mix of wet snow in wind in New Jersey and six to 12 inches of snow in southeastern New York and New England. New York City, Long Island and Westchester County will be under a high wind warning from 2 p.m. Wednesday until 4 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service said. New York City Mayor Bloomberg said police officers would be making announcements over their patrol car loudspeakers in coastal areas, warning residents of the possibility of flooding, and urging them to evacuate, NBC New York reported. He also said parks, beaches and playgrounds would be closed at noon Wednesday. Although city officials strongly encouraged storm-ravaged communities to seek higher ground before the storm, some have adamantly refused to leave, choosing to protect their property and belongings against looters, according to The Associated Press. Hundreds of nursing home residents in the storm-battered Rockaways are also being evacuated.
