Ice-covered streets, snow remain from March storm
NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Icy streets and roadways were a major concern for people across the Tri-State Region trying to get around the day after a power nor'easter blasted the area.
The storm tracked slightly west on Tuesday morning, lessening its impact on New York City and Long Island, while slamming the region north and west of the city. Some areas in upstate New York and northwestern New Jersey saw close to and more than two feet of snow.
The National Weather Service canceled a blizzard warning for New York City and Long Island. A winter weather advisory and a wind advisory for New York City were issued in their place.
The weather scenario was quite different in the Hudson Valley and upstate New York. Speaking with Good Day New York on Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo described the storm outside the city as "ferocious." A full travel ban on I-84 was lifted at 8 p.m. A temporary tractor trailer ban remains in effect on I-81, I-86/Route 17, I-87 from Albany to the Canadian border, I-88 and on all of the New York State Thruway.
In fact, the National Weather Service reported record snowfall for the day in Binghamton, New York, which got more than 26 inches. Montgomery got 23.5 inches and counting. Stony Point saw more than 18 inches.
The storm packed less of a punch with 6 to 12 inches of snowfall predicted for Central Park by the end of the day. At 2 p.m., the National Weather Service announced snowfalls of 7.2 inches in the park, 4.7 inches at JFK Airport, 7.2 inches at LaGuardia: and 2.9 inches in Islip. The forecast originally called for up to 20 inches of snow.
Long Island was seeing more of a wintry mix and would likely receive snow accumulations of 2 to 6 inches.
A state of emergency went into effect across New York at midnight on Tuesday and will last until Wednesday. Cuomo said that 2,000 National Guard members and 5,000 state personnel would be deployed for storm response.
New York City schools were closed Tuesday ahead of the storm. The mayor said all schools would reopen Wednesday.
Thousands of flights at airports across the East Coast were also canceled. According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, more than 6,600 flights Tuesday were canceled, including more than 2,800 in the New York City area, where about 200 passengers were stranded at Kennedy Airport.
Service suspensions, changes and cancelations are reported on mass transit across the region.
The underground subway system in New York City is up and running. MTA subway service above ground was suspended at 4 a.m. on Tuesday.
Non-essential state workers were told not report to work on Tuesday which means that many state services would not be available.
A blizzard warning and winter storm warning remained in effect for areas north and west of New York City along with portions of New Jersey.
All New York City Public Schools were closed Tuesday, March 14, but would be open on Wednesday, March 15, announced Mayor Bill de Blasio. All programs and activities will be held as scheduled.
On eastern Long Island and the Jersey Shore, a snowfall of 2 to 6 inches was forecast.
Cuomo activated the New York State Emergency Operations Center on Monday evening, with stockpiles of sandbags, generators, and pumps at the ready, as well as snow-removal vehicles and salt spreaders.
The New York City Department of Sanitation took similar action and notified additional workers to supplement staff if needed.
Motorists in New York state can call 511 or access www.511ny.org to check on road conditions and transit information.
Visit MTA.info for the latest update.
The severe weather arrived just a week after the region saw temperatures climb into the 60s. Sunny days and T-shirt-wearing temperatures made it seem like winter had made an early exit. But the chilly weather and snow some areas got Friday may prove to be just a teaser.
The biggest snowstorm on record for Central Park was just last year. Between January 22-24, 2016 a storm dumped 27.5 inches in the park.
With the Associated Press