Snow Sweeps Across the North East

The snow swirled endlessly in Manhattan late Wednesday evening, the wind sweeping each flake in pursuit of another. It was a spinning game of snow tag that no flake could win, weaving a veil of icy moisture that hung heavy on eyelashes and seeped deep into the pores of mittens. City employees shoveled on.

A storm from the Northeast dumped 12” on New York City and outer boroughs Wednesday evening. Schools were closed, flights were cancelled, and the fast city pace came to a slow crawl for a day.

Thursday morning brought a break in the snow, and the sun arrived, working to melt away the frozen remains of the freezing weather that battered New England. The National Weather Service reported nine inches of accumulation in Central Park, and the snowstorm put the preparedness of New Yorkers to the test.

New York City public schools were closed for the day as a result. In a snow briefing held Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Bloomberg defended the precautionary measures taken for the storm. “After brief lulls, snowfall at mid afternoon reached the intensity that made the decision to close public schools the right one,” he said.

Other measures were taken to minimize the storm’s effects.

Around the city’s federal buildings and courthouses, city employees shoveled and salted the sidewalks of these highly trafficked areas. Pedestrians were appreciative of the hard work.

“I am impressed at how clean the streets and sidewalks are today, especially compared to how long it is taking to clean up cities south of here,” remarked Lindsey Fontana, a 21-year-old NYU student from Massachusetts.

Pedestrians downtown were left to spend the day making less-than-graceful leaps across snowdrifts left by plowing. Others were caught cracking a smile at their own wariness, as walkers tiptoed awkwardly across icy patches of concrete in Soho.

Other New Yorkers sought snow-day fun.

“People want sleds. We got a lot of calls,” said Shola Ibrahin, 30, an employee of Ace Hardware of Tribeca. “How many times do we get snow like this in the city? We don’t have sleds. This isn’t Colorado!”

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Oversized plow trucks lined up outside of the federal courthouses Thursday morning after a long night of work that kept the streets impressively clear.

New York business owners diligently shoveled the sidewalks of their storefronts Thursday morning.

The snowstorm layered city parks and open spaces with a blanket of snow.

An apartment rooftop in Tribeca was made virtually inaccessible due to eight inches of snow accumulation.

Bright afternoon sunlight on Thursday began the slow process of melting away icicles clinging to the ledges of buildings.