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Mother Nature, you did it! You made sure that there was enough snow to make meteorlogists - and local news crews - in the region thrilled beyond belief by dumping over 2 feet of snow in New York City - and more in outlying areas - which makes this a brand new record. Sure, Gothamist was laughing at newscasts touting the "Blizzard of 2006" as having the second highest snowfall, but when we took that crown from 1947 with 26.9", we did emit a bit of a holler. And then we ran outside and got nailed by some snowballs. Mayor Bloomberg called it a dangerous storm and even mentioned he too heard the early Sunday thunder, saying, "I thought, 'Plows don't make that noise.'" That other noise you heard, besides children's cheers of sledding, were children's tears over not having a snow day for Monday - school opens, kids! Anyway, who cares if two feet of snow doesn't technically count as being a blizzard?
The Sanitation Department was ready, with plows and shovelers making sure this morning's commute will be easier. For your reference, the DoS works on main streets first, then secondary and tertiary streets - tough luck to people who parked on smaller streets. All the area airports shut down, and a jet arriving from Turkey skidded off JFK's runway last night (luckily no one was injured). Mass transit seemed to be work well, though there are some delays.
How did you enjoy the snow? Gothamist loved the NY Times article about being a volunteer who measures snow fall - if we have a yardstick, can we sign up? And where will the snow go if it melts quickly? The sewers, of course. Plus, it may have been fun for some at Central Park, but one man was mugged for his $500 digital camera!
Photograph at top of Park Slope's 8th Street from chinycjo and photograph at bottom of sledders from whatisee, both on Flickr
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I, for one, don't believe this hype about this being the "biggest snowstorm to hit NYC since weather records were kept."
Frankly, I think some weather guy in Central Park, seeking his fifteen minutes of fame, fudged the measurements, adding nearly a half a foot to actual snowfall totals.
In my neighborhood, the snow was clearly deep, but a quick comparison of photos I took during past blizzards to yesterday's storm reveals a much higher drift level and greater car and stoop coverage in past storms.
Yet, the smiles on the faces of Park Slope kids, being dragged in their elite sleds and disks, rather than their double Perigo strollers, into Propspect Park, confirms the futility of snow measurements. Instead, I propose a measure based on child satisfaction.
Well said Famdoc - I agree and think the snow is beautiful and would gladly trudge through the streets for a couple days to see so many kids having a blast.
Yeah, the almost-27 inches seemed dubious - drifts, I'd think. But it was so pretty and peaceful - and fun - for at least one day.
My dad used to talk about living through the great blizzard of '47 (previous record holder, he was 10), walking home to the Bronx in the Blackout of '65, and making it through the ten days of the Transit Strike of '66. When I was growing up I thought, man, he's lived through all the major NYC events. Nothing ever happens in our time.
Blackout... '03
Transit Strike... '05
Record-setting blizzard ... '06
... and, of course, throw in the terrorist attack.
It's been quite a decade in NYC.
You forgot:
Smoking Ban... '03
End of Subway Token... '04
The RNC Takeover... '04
my snow day consisted of a pedicure, capture the flag, hula-hooping, sledding and homemade beef stew.
"It's been quite a decade in NYC."
I wonder what's next. Maybe a tsunami...Cat 4 hurricane...9/11 part II or maybe the Knicks win the NBA Finals.
How big was the snow? was it just big enough to have a snow ball fight or deep enough to sink into?
hghj