|
  |
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New York City huddles under blizzard warningUp to 24 inches of snow predicted before Tuesday
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A far-reaching winter storm dumped a thick blanket of snow Monday onto New York City, snarling transportation and turning the typically gray urban landscape into a blinding, white confection. The National Weather Service said New York City's Central Park had 19.8 inches of snow at 9 p.m. That is the fourth-highest amount ever recorded for the city, which uses the park as its gauge; the most snow fell in December 1947, when Central Park had 26.4 inches. With as many as 24 inches expected to fall by midnight, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the region. A blizzard warning is issued when sustained wind speeds or frequent gusts of wind over 35 mph are expected with the snow. About 2,700 sanitation workers were assigned to 12-hour shifts on 1,700 pieces of equipment -- front-end loaders, plows, dump trucks, and flow and dump spreaders. But the snow was overwhelming their ability to clear the streets. "As fast as they plow, the new snow just adds back in," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. The plows likely will not get to secondary and smaller routes until Wednesday, he predicted. "Have a little patience," he said. Monday's snowfall coincided with Presidents Day, a federal holiday, and came on a school holiday -- all of which eased the crunch. "I'd love to take credit for arranging it for today," Bloomberg said. The city will return to business as usual Tuesday, or nearly so, Bloomberg predicted. He urged commuters not to try to drive into the city but to take mass transit. "I suggest you join me on the subways." Although city buses were making their way through the streets Monday, private bus lines halted service to New Jersey and the outer boroughs. New Jersey Transit suspended bus service statewide, a spokeswoman said. 'Just remember, we're New Yorkers'"Tomorrow will be a business day, and we expect them to be back in service," Bloomberg said. "Chill out tomorrow morning. It's going to be a rough commute, but everybody will get there. Just remember, we're New Yorkers." With many sidewalks impassable, pedestrians took to the city's avenues and streets, which were largely devoid of traffic. There, they were joined by a few hardy cross-country skiers. Bloomberg said they would be better off in the parks. "Snow is an expensive thing, it's an annoying thing, it's a beautiful thing. We don't want to make it a dangerous thing." With snowfall's cleanup costs typically pegged at $1 million per inch, the mayor predicted the storm would set the city back $20 million. The snowfall is nearly as deep as it was during the last severe storm, in January 1996, when 20.2 inches of snow fell in Central Park. "I'm hoping we don't get as much as in '96," said Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty, who held the same job then. "I think we're a little bit ahead of the game." Governor declares snow emergencyNew York Gov. George Pataki declared a snow emergency for New York City, Long Island and 12 counties hit hard by the storm, clearing the way for federal and state aid. A spokesman for Coalition for the Homeless said the city's shelters -- which had already been near capacity Sunday night with 8,100 people -- were seeing an increase in people seeking a place to stay Monday. When temperatures fall below freezing, police are empowered to force people on the streets into shelters. The snowstorm caused headaches for many travelers. LaGuardia Airport, which was socked with 15 inches of snow, was shut indefinitely because of low visibility and blowing snow. At the city's two other major airports -- John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International -- the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told travelers to expect "massive cancellations" and delays. As of 3 p.m., JFK had been hit with 23 inches, and Newark with 20 inches, the weather service said. Travelers were urged to check with airlines before heading to any of the airports. "I am absolutely shocked at the severity of the blizzard conditions," said Whitney Meyer, a would-be passenger at LaGuardia. "In fact, they just canceled my flight without warning." "It's amazing," said Elizabeth Gildersleeve, a marketing consultant who was watching the snow from her 17th-floor Chelsea apartment overlooking the Hudson River. She had no trouble finding a cab Monday morning, but she had to share it and endure grousing from the driver, who fishtailed across 23rd Street in Manhattan and then vowed to end his shift early. "He said he was going home to Brooklyn because he couldn't bear it," Gildersleeve said. In general, though, people tended to be cheerful, even to the point of escorting elderly ladies across the street, she said. "It's like everybody's in their emergency mood." Observance of the federal holiday was credited for the absence of backups at the city's major bridges and tunnels, though wind-driven snow led Port Authority officials to reduce speed limits to 25 mph on the three bridges to Staten Island. Port Authority trains that travel from Manhattan under the Hudson River to New Jersey were running on holiday schedules with no delays reported, the authority said. -- CNN's Jean Weinberg contributed to this report
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
