NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York City is cleaning up from a major snowstorm that slowed down the morning commute.
Accumulation in the city was mostly slush, but to the north and west there were several inches on the ground.
Mayor de Blasio announced during a media briefing that NYC schools are closed today. He defended the decision, saying it was the right thing to do for working parents who need time to make arrangements.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for the entire state beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday.
The city's sanitation department prepared for the storm with 695 salt spreaders and 1600 plows at the ready.
Acting Sanitation Commissioner Steven Costas says "We'll concentration on the high spots, on the elevated hills, and portions of areas that are prone to freezing."
Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito urged commuters to stay off the roads, saying, "Use public transportation if you need to go out around the city. Do not drive unless you have to please."
Snow totals varied around the area with 5 inches in Central Park, 9 in some Bergen County towns, 7 in Bayside, and 11 in Armonk.
Monday will be windy and cold with clouds giving way to some sun, with a high of 38.
In the Bronx, Orlando was up early digging out his car to avoid having it become encased in ice.
"It's heavy, it's more like slush," he said.
Boots and golashes are suggested because as 1010 WINS' John Montone reported, the streets are flush with slush.
Parts of Westchester got almost a foot of snow, and while many roads were cleared before rush hour, commuters still had to get out of their own driveways.
Shoveling that heavy, wet snow may be a job left to the young and healthy, or better yet a snowblower.
Dr. Anthony Booten is chairman of the Emergency Medicine Department at Nassau University Medical Center.
"The act of shoveling itself is actually pretty difficult sometimes, especially for the elderly and people with high risk like hypertension and diabetes," he said.
He said slips and falls on the ice are another concern, and advised adults to find a teenager to help shovel.
"I was out clearing out the car, whatever piece of the driveway I could do by myself, and it was fine," Leo said.
Trees were dropping clumps of snow from branches around the area, and power lines were affected as well. There were 15,00 outages in New Jersey, more than 2,400 in Westchester, and about 1,100 in the city.
