Winter storm brings biggest snowfall of the season to New York City
Snow shovels were finally put to use after a winter storm dumped heavy snow across the Northeast during the final days of meteorological winter.
Parts of northern New Jersey got more than 6 inches of snow.
It took until the final days of February, but snow shovels were finally needed in New York City and other parts of the Interstate 95 corridor as a winter storm dropped several inches of snow across the Northeast. The storm was not one for the record books in terms of huge amounts, but measurable snow has been hard to come by this winter season.
Plowable snow fell from northern New Jersey to southern Maine from Monday into Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, slushy, wet snow weighed down tree branches and created a mess on the roads along the Interstate 95 corridor.
A video from New York City showed the wet snow covering sidewalks and cars that were parked alongside the road. Crews worked to keep the roadways clear, but the splashing sound of wet, slushy snow could be heard as the commute began Tuesday morning in the city.
"New Yorkers may have forgotten how to handle snow this winter, but New York's Strongest haven't," the New York Department of Sanitation wrote on Twitter. "Our salt spreaders have been out all night and will continue to address streets and bike lanes today."
Elsewhere in New York, the Department of Transportation worked around the clock to ensure that roadways were clear during the morning commute Tuesday.
"It was a busy night for plowing Long Island," the New York State Department of Transportation Long Island department wrote on Twitter. "These four were lined up in the echelon formation on the Northern State Parkway at Post Avenue in Westbury Village to get the job done."
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) issued a speed restriction along Interstate 90 from the New York state border to just west of Springfield Tuesday morning due to the slippery roadways.
Worker Bayron Barrientos, of Providence, R.I., shovels snow off a path, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in front of a church, in Norwood, Mass. Parts of the Northeast are gearing up for what could be heavy snow Tuesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
"MassDOT has approx 1,652 pieces of equipment deployed in snow and ice response," the department wrote on Twitter.
Travel delays weren't just limited to the roads. Several Northeast airports reported delays and cancellations Tuesday. LaGuardia Airport in New York City accounted for most of the flight cancellations in the Northeast, with more than 160, according to Flight Aware.
Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport all reported significant delays and cancellations Tuesday. John F. Kennedy reported more than 400 delays, while Boston reported more than 300 delays.
While countless schools and businesses across the Northeast closed or delayed their opening Tuesday due to the snow, a handful opted for "remote" days. Mount Saint Mary College, located in Newburg, New York, which is north of the city, was one of the schools that opted for a remote learning day, according to NBC4.
The highest snowfall total came from West Greenwich, Rhode Island, where 8.3 inches of snow was measured. West Greenwich is located on the Rhode Island-Connecticut border, south of Providence.
Plainfield, Massachusetts, located about an hour from Springfield, measured 8 inches of snow. In Pennsylvania, Mount Pocono, a small borough located about two hours north of Philadelphia, measured 7.5 inches of snow.
The highest snowfall total in New York came from Chester, which is roughly an hour and half from New York City when 7.5 inches of snow was measured Tuesday morning. In Connecticut, the multiple locations measured 7 inches snow.
The 2022-2023 winter season has been lacking snow for several Northeast cities, such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Through Feb. 26, only 0.4 of an inch of snow had been recorded in New York City, which is well behind the city's historical average of 24.4 inches through the end of February.
Through 7 a.m. Tuesday, the official weather station for New York City, located in Central Park, measured 1.8 inches of snow. This is the third latest date for the first inch of snowfall in the city's recorded history. The latest date on record that the Big Apple recorded its first inch of snow was on March 22, 1998.
People run through snow at Central Park during a winter storm in New York City, U.S., Feb. 28, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
Many New Yorkers took to Twitter Tuesday morning sharing how happy they were to see the snow.
"As a snow-starved Canadian, soooooo happy to see we finally, finally have a decent snowfall here in downstate NY," one Twitter user wrote.
"There is nothing quite like walking your kid to school the morning after snow in New York City," Political news reporter Henry Rosoff wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning.
In Boston, the snow transformed the city into a winter wonderland. Northeastern University shared photos of the campus covered in a light snow on Tuesday morning.
Since Oct. 1, 2022, only 10.7 inches of snow has fallen in Boston this winter, well below its historical average of 38.2 inches of snow by the end of February. This recent snowstorm delivered 0.8 of an inch of snow to Beantown as of Tuesday morning, with higher totals reported to the south, west and north of the city.
Philadelphia is also behind its historical average of 19 inches of snow as of the end of February. The City of Brotherly Love only measured a trace of snow from this recent storm, which didn't add to its seasonal total, which stands at 0.3 of an inch.
Washington, D.C., missed out on snow from this storm. The nation's capital has only recorded 0.4 of an inch of snow this winter, which is well below the historical normal of 11.6 inches through the end of February.
Even though Tuesday is the last day of meteorological winter, AccuWeather forecasters say more winter weather is on its way for the Northeast. Confidence among meteorologists is increasing that an extensive storm system will dump heavy snow and create more travel impacts across the Upper Midwest and much of the Northeast later this week.
Correction: This story previously said Boston recorded its largest single snowfall of the season on Tuesday. While 2.9 inches was measured at the NWS office in Norton, Massachusetts, only 0.8 of an inch was recorded at Boston Logan International Airport, the city’s official recording station.
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