The city braced Friday for its first winter wallop of 2013, with a paralyzing  blizzard expected to dump a foot of snow just three months after Hurricane  Sandy.

The whiteout, with whipping winds gusting to 50 mph, will reduce visibility  to near zero while threatening to down trees and power lines — a familiar if  unfortunate scenario for New Yorkers.

“Stay off the city streets,” Mayor  Bloomberg advised at a Friday afternoon news conference. “Stay out of your  cars.”

The city had 1,700 snow plows, 450 spreaders and 250,000 tons of salt ready  and waiting for the snow that was expected to bury the five boroughs  overnight.

“We’ve got to prepare for the worst case,” said Bloomberg. “We’re ready for  anything.”

The city planned to avoid a repeat of the blizzard of 2010 when 20 inches of  snow fell and stranded cars clogged city roadways. The conditions made it  impossible for some ambulances to get to emergencies.

 

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