NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – The clean up is under way in New York City and across the rest of the Tri=State area after the biggest winter storm in years dumped more than a foot of snow in some parts of the region, shutting down vaccination sites, closing schools, canceling flights and disrupting mass transit.
The National Weather Service had forecasted as much as 18 to 24 inches in the city, eastern Nassau, northern New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley and southwestern Connecticut.
The agency reported more than 16 inches of snow fell in Central Park while the storm dumped 30 inches in Mendham, New Jersey, 24.5 inches in Harrison, New York and 19 inches in Danbury, Connecticut.
Eastern Long Island and the Jersey Shore saw less accumulation as snow mixed with rain overnight Monday.
Intermittent light snow and flurries will continue across parts of the Tri-State area throughout Tuesday night, which could total up another coating to a couple of inches.
The first part of the storm arrived in the Tri-State area Sunday night, bringing up to a half-foot of snow by Monday morning.
As the nor’easter took shape, wind and snow picked up in intensity over several hours, creating near-blizzard conditions and making for hazardous travel on roadways.
Forecasters warned wind gusts of up to 50 mph were possible at the height of the storm Monday, as well as heavy snow coming down at about 3-inches per hour.
A winter storm warning was in effect from 7 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Tuesday for all of New York City, Nassau County, eastern Suffolk County, most of New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley and southwestern Connecticut.
Eastern Suffolk County and the Jersey Shore were under a coastal flood warning and winter storm watch. Some areas of the Jersey Shore, including the Atlantic City area saw severe flooding during high tide.
Parts of Long Island were hard-hit by the storm.
"We really are getting walloped," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. "We knew that this was going to be long and slow-moving, so we made sure our trucks were out there pre-treating with salt and brine, and we're just going out there attacking this storm in shifts."
She said the wind was complicating snow-clearing efforts during the storm.
"It's so windy, so snow keeps falling, you clear the roads, then there's more snow, and then wind blows more snow into the roads so you just have to keep going back and back at it."
She said the county responded to at least 50 storm-related car accident and is pleading with the public to stay off the roads.
The storm disrupted mass transit service across the area and prompted airlines to cancel all commercial flights Monday at LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Newark-Liberty airports.
Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a state of emergency, restricting non-essential travel on New York City streets and highways through 6 a.m. Tuesday, with exceptions for essential workers.
"If you can stay home, stay home. Keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles," de Blasio said.
The mayor also announced there will be no in-person learning at public schools on Monday and Tuesday. Students will pivot to all-remote. The Learning Bridges childcare program is also canceled Monday and Tuesday.
All Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of New York, are closed Monday and Tuesday for a traditional snow day, with no remote learning. High schools within the archdiocese operate independently, so families should check with their schools about closings.
Alternate side parking rules in the city are suspended through Saturday.
Vaccine appointments scheduled for Monday and Tuesday are being postponed.
Sanitation Commissioner Ed Grayson said the department had 270,000 tons of salt are on hand for the storm and plows were out in force clearing the streets throughout the day Monday and Tuesday.
He said over 500 miles of roadway had been ore-treated, some with more than two passes, ahead of the storm. There were some 2,000 spreaders and 3,000 plow vehicles on the roads for the storm.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the snowstorm in 44 counties, including New York City, the Hudson Valley and Long Island.
State-run vaccination sites at SUNY Stony Brook, Jones Beach, Aqueduct Racetrack, the Javits Center and the Westchester County Center will be closed Tuesday. All appointments are being rescheduled.
Aboveground subway service was suspended Monday afternoon while trains also stopped running on Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road. All service was restored early Tuesday ahead of the morning rush.
Westchester Executive George Latimer said the Bee-Line Bus System was shutdown until at least noon Tuesday. His biggest concern is the wind and the potential for power outages.
"We have a lot of trees and a lot of open space in Westchester where we're stringing power lines, so if the winds kick up on a night like tonight with more snow coming down we're concerned about our power grid," Latimer said.
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Rockland County Executive Ed Day said plows have attacked the storm, but struggled to keep up and get the roads down to blacktop.
He's also worried about power outages.
"Orange & Rockland has tripled the amount of people, their line techs in particular, in order to deal with that," Day said. "We had some scattered power outages and they were cleared very quickly by O&R's rapid response, so right now we're good, but again we are prepared for the worst as always."
“We recommend a delayed start to any travel Tuesday to give crews added time to clear the roads and urge caution of those who will be traveling as light snow is predicted throughout the day Tuesday," Day said.
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency, which impacts all 21 counties, allowing resources to be deployed throughout the state during the duration of the storm.
State offices will be closed on Monday and Tuesday for non-essential personnel and all vaccine mega-sites will also be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
After the storm moves out, Wednesday will be breezy and cold with a high of 34. RealFeels will be in the teens. Flurries will be possible in the morning.
Thursday is sunny and not as cold, with a high of 40.
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