Newsman: The winter snow storm blanketed New York city and Tri-State area on Saturday, with the heaviest snowfall north and east of New York City. New York City’s Central Park recorded 4.3in of snow, its highest since January 2022, while other parts of the state saw up to 7.5in of snow, said the US National Weather Service .
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in more than half of counties in the state ahead of the storm.
On Saturday, more than 900 flights were cancelled, mostly in the New York area, while more than 8,000 were delayed nationwide, according to tracker FlightAware.
The state activated a “code blue” to bring homeless people inside from the cold.
New York has woken up with its memory of heaviest snowfall in nearly four years which the highest amount in the park since the storm of Jan. 28-29, 2022, which dropped over 8 inches.
By early Saturday, about 6-10in of snow had fallen from Syracuse in central New York to Long Island in the south-east of the state.
The worst of the storm began Friday evening, but by dawn, lingering light snow was tapering off and most storm warnings had expired except in areas north and west where slick travel was a concern because of snowy and icy roads. The worst part of the storm was over by Saturday morning, but temperatures were below freezing and road conditions hazardous. The National Weather service warned melting snow could lead to black ice forming on roads and bridges.
High snowfall was recorded in neighbouring New Jersey, where a state of emergency was also declared, and in Connecticut, where 9.1in of snow fell in Fairfield County.
Higher totals were kept down in New Jersey due to ice; some areas of the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and Connecticut, however, saw more substantial snowfall.
Connecticut expected the heavier snow bands set in. New Fairfield came in with 9.1 inches, Fairfield with 7 inches, Bridgeport at 7.1, and Newtown with 6 inches.
Parts of Long Island saw over half a foot, with Babylon and Orient both recording 7.5 inches, Mattituck coming in at 7 inches, North Patchogue getting 6.8 inches, 6.6 coming down at Islip, and Hampton Bays reporting 6.5.
The Hudson Valley was also in the snow sweet spot, with Lake Carmel at 6.5 inches, Armonk at 6.4 inches, Peekskill at 6.1 inches and Port Chester at 5.9.
Westchester County sees some of the heaviest snowfall totals in area. The steady snowfall covered roads and reduced visibility.
The storm was an Alberta Clipper that had been infused with energy from the Pacific storms delivering an atmospheric river of rain to the West Coast. As this system crashed into the cold air in our area, it squeezed out a lot of snow in a hurry for parts of the region. Meteorologist Jeff Smith described the system as an “Alberta Clipper on steroids.”
