For New York State officials, though, recent missteps loomed. Mr. Cuomo cited the seven feet of snow that recently hit Buffalo, a storm he said the state had underestimated because of sliding forecasts. Meteorologists also criticized Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, for second-guessing their projections at the time.

On Tuesday, the governor was more measured — “forecasters do the best they can, and we respond to the best information that they have,” he said — though he noted that the state had announced plans to create its own weather system that would deliver more precise information on impending storms.

By early Monday afternoon, Mr. Cuomo had prepared residents for the possibility of road closings and limited transit service. But though officials had warned of a possible subway shutdown, Thomas F. Prendergast, the transportation authority chairman, suggested that underground service was likely to continue. “We’d be able to run trains,” he said.

Hours later, Mr. Cuomo, saying the forecast had worsened for some parts of the region, announced the subway shutdown. Amid questions over whether the governor had ordered the move himself, Mr. Prendergast later said he had recommended it, citing the 2010 blizzard that left many trains and buses stranded in the snow.