SNOW IS HERE! As of 7:30 a.m., over 1.3 inches of snow fell in Central Park, which the Weather Channel called the "first measurable snow since the historic late October snowstorm." And because it's all about snow, the Parks Department is having a snow day at a park in each borough, complete with sledding, hot chocolate, snow angel and snowman contests! more ›

It was all about the Benjamins. If Bloomberg didn't claim backsies on that snow day it would have cost the city millions! On WOR this morning Bloomie explained that "if you give some people a day off and some people have to work, the people who have to work—by contract—get an extra day’s pay. An extra day for a lot of workers would cost you millions and millions of dollars." Of course! In the meantime, if you've turned in a snow day excuse to the city we'd love to see it. more ›

During last week's snowstorm the Mayor closed all non-emergency government offices and announced that "New York City almost never takes a snow day, but today is one of those rare days." What he forgot to mention, apparently, was that if you didn't show up for work you would lose a day of leave. Sort of. If workers can provide a reason why they weren't at work, they won't be docked. Still, you can imagine how well this is going over. more ›

This morning Schools Chancellor Cathie Black, along with the Mayor's office, decided to close the city's schools—the ninth time the schools have been closed for snow since 1978. The news made many a school kid happy, and not just for the obvious reason. See, today nearly 100,000 students were meant to take state-wide Regents exams in history, geometry, science, chemistry and physics. more ›

Schools Chancellor Cathie Black announced that all NYC public schools are closed today. (Parents who have to go to work, good luck finding baby-sitters!) Also, Mayor Bloomberg said that all non-emergency government offices would be closed, "New York City almost never takes a snow day, but today is one of those rare days." Parking regulations have also been suspended. more ›

Aside from the city's students and Cathie Black, a bunch of the city's teachers played hooky on Wednesday's non-snow day. One in four, to be exact. The Times reports that 77% of teachers showed up; average teacher attendance on any given day is about 90%. They surmise that since many of the teachers live in the suburbs, where the schools were closed, finding child care may have been a problem. Or maybe there were awesome snow forts that needed their complete attention. more ›

Parents are breathing a sigh of relief, as the city has decided the snow conditions aren't enough to keep kids from school. Snow days have become a little more common in recent years: A snow days have been called on February 10, 2010, February 26, 2010 and March 2, 2009—before that, the last one was January 27, 2004! Overly cautious government or climate change—you decide! more ›

Thanks to the snowicane, the Department of Parks and Recreation has announced a "snow day" for New Yorkers "to come out to a neighborhood park for some winter fun." The Parks Department will also have sleds and hot chocolate at these locations: more ›

What a doozy—today's winter storm has dropped just under 21 inches of snow in Central Park! And NYC is supposed to see another one to three inches! Earlier today, Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty said, "Our plan today is to get into the secondary and tertiary streets. Don't rush us, we are going to get there. We know we have to clear them. The plows are out, we are going to bring in extra equipment to help us out where needed." But given that the snow is unstoppable, we hope people aren't snowed in too badly. more ›

Snow day! For New York City Public Schools, anyway (and colleges and universities—Columbia, NYU, New School, SVA are closed!). After previously saying that NYC public schools would be open today despite the snow, the Department of Education has changed course and closed schools for the day. After school activities and all PSAL events are also canceled. It's the second time schools have been closed for snow this month.Time to pull out that snow gear again for some more fun in the parks (which are dangerous)! City offices, however, will remain open. more ›

Though the "Snowacane" is in full effect, New York City public schools will be open tomorrow, according to Mayor Bloomberg. After preemptively closing schools before the "Snowpocalypse"—awarding students their third snow day in the past six years—Bloomberg announced this afternoon that city schools will remain open on Friday. In a statement to 1010WINS that leaves just enough doubt for students to feel disappointed right now, and again tomorrow morning, he said: "My hope is that the snow will stay to the north and west of us and we'll just have rain, our kids need another school day ... We will cancel school only if it really would be dangerous to get the kids into school and get them home." more ›

We've got updates from bars and restaurants all around the city. This week, The JakeWalk unveils its winter fondue menu, Mama's Food Shop is starting brunch, there's new space coming to the already massive Radegast Hall, and today there's snow day champagne at Fishtail. more ›

A family is searching for its lost French Bulldog Sugar—and they think they know who has her. After the pet ran away in Prospect park they received a mysterious phone call from a gruff-voiced man, demanding money in exchange for their dog’s safe return. According to the Brooklyn Paper, when Drucie Belman, a Brooklyn resident, failed to offer a sufficient sum, the man hung up and he hasn’t reached her since. Now Belman has put a call out to the neighborhood and a local dog organization asking for help finding Sugar. "I just love this dog," she said. more ›

As we head into the slushy, melty mess outside, let's remember the great Snowmageddon of February 10, 2010 with some more photographs. Thank you to everyone who shared their pictures with us. more ›

After sending meteorologists, local officials, and groceries into overdrive, Snowmageddon/Snowpocalypse 2010, NYC Edition, arrived yesterday, depositing substantial amounts of snow in the five boroughs. The Post reports, "By late last night, Staten Island had been socked with as much as 17 inches of snow. A foot fell in parts of The Bronx, while sections of Queens and Brooklyn were buried under 13 inches, and Central Park had 10." Which meant there was plenty of snow for kids to sled or make snowballs on their snow day—but, no, it wasn't a blizzard. more ›

For serious, SNOWPOCALYPSE 2010 is here—we're currently under a blizzard warning! Schools are closed (city officials are worried that the afternoon conditions will be rough), airlines cancelled flights from area airports, the post office is collecting mail early and the United Nations is shut down! But New Yorkers are soldiering on: NY1 reports, "Working overtime on two 12-hour split shifts, about 2,100 Sanitation Department employees are using 365 salt spreaders and 2,000 plows. Over 100,000 tons of salt are at their disposal to take on the blanket of white." more ›

Last weekend's snow storm missed us, but meteorologists say the NYC region will get walloped tomorrow with a big snowfall, prompting city officials to call it a snow day in advance. AccuWeather says, "The nor'easter is destined to be the biggest storm of the new year so far for New York City to Boston. Unlike the last storm, this one will 'not' miss these areas... The blowing snow will create near-zero visibility at times." more ›

Hey, Gothamist readers: Given that 78% of you managed to make it to work on Monday through the snow storm, you can call yourself tougher than...an FBI agent! The Post reports that the FBI's NYC field office closed on Monday, citing the weather. more ›

Yesterday's rare snow day with the Department of Education closing public schools was a blessing for children and a mess for parents. One mother told the Post, "When I found out it was a snow day, it was too late to make arrangements. When you count on school every day, it's hard to find people to take care of your kids. Had I known [Sunday] afternoon, it might have been easier." more ›

After yesterday's snow storm, be careful whether you're walking or driving—the roads are slick and icy. As for the snow fall, WCBS 2 reports that Central Park saw 8" (Long Island—14.5"— and the Jersey shore—13.5"— saw higher amounts of accumulation). more ›

Mayor Bloomberg reassured the city would have clearer roads—100,000 tons of salt! 1,400 plows!—after today's winter storm, pointing out, "New York City has nearly 6,000 miles of streets. So to plow all our streets, just think about this, it's like plowing form here to Los Angeles, and back. It is really quite an amazing job that the sanitations workers have to do and that they do do." (If your street hasn't been plowed, call 311.) Schools Chancellor Joel Klein explained the rare snow day, "A lot of those streets weren't passable. We have kids, young kids, walking to schools. We transport 150,000 or so students on yellow buses. With the wind and the snow blowing and the traffic issues that we were hearing about, we thought this was the right decision. As I said, it's never the preferred decision, but the right decision." And the Mayor had a message for the school kids: "For those kids who were hoping for two consecutive snow days in a row, things can always change, but my suggestion is to do your homework." more ›

It is the , generally, made it to work! And more snow is expected today. more ›

If only you'd stayed in school, you'd still be in bed right now. Then, around noon, you'd probably go frolic in today's winter wonderland, your carefree yelps of joy piercing the ears of bitter office drones stumbling through snowdrifts on their harried lunch breaks. And as if an entire day of unbridled freedom from tests and homework isn't enough of a gift, the Parks Department will be sweetening the deal today with "free winter fun" in all five boroughs. Sucks to have a job today! more ›

Meteorologists warned that snow starting yesterday would dump up to a foot of snow (maybe 14 inches on Long Island!) by this morning, but will we see that much? National Weather Service meterologist John Murray said that the winter storm warning is in effect till 6 p.m. tonight, with wind gusts up to 35 mph, "It's a classic Nor'easter, that's for sure." more ›

Put on your snowpants! Today, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., the Parks Department is welcoming New Yorkers to their neighborhood parks for a Snow Day: "White-capped hills around the city are open for sledding, snowman-making and more. Parks & Recreation will provide sleds and hot chocolate at selected locations across the city." These are the selected parks: more ›

After January hype - which resulted in rain - and a brief moment of snow last week, a winter snow storm finally made an appearance this year. Two weather disturbances resulted in many inches of snow falling in the region: By 2PM, more than 6 inches fell in the city, which is the biggest snowfall in two years and the biggest daily snowfall on the books (old record: 5.7 inches in 1948). more ›