A state of emergency will begin at midnight in advance of what’s expected to be a nasty late-winter storm, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

“Mother Nature plans on visiting later tonight, and expectation is she’s going to bringing a wintry fury with her,” Cuomo said Monday afternoon in a conference call with reporters.

Non-essential state employees do not need to report for work on Tuesday — except the North Country, “where we do not expect a significant snowfall.” (Even so: Lewis and Jefferson counties are expecting up to 17 inches, while Plattsburgh and the Champlain Valley expect up to 18 inches — but those folks are made of tough stuff.)

A Cuomo spokesman said state employees do not have to claim time for the snow day.

Capital Region snowfall is expected to be heaviest in the south and east, with up to 24 inches possible through Tuesday night, he said.

The governor noted that snowfall rates in the heaviest-hit areas could hit 2 to 4 inches per hour — conditions that snow-clearing machinery can’t keep pace with.

New York City and Long Island are also expected to be bedeviled by high winds.