A ferocious winter storm has already blanketed much of New York City with at least a half-foot of snow, and the worst is far from over.
As of 9 a.m. Jan. 29, the National Weather Service reported at least 5.3 inches of snow on the ground in Central Park and LaGuardia Airports. The city remains under a winter storm warning, with the heaviest snowfall totals expected for eastern areas.
Sanitation crews across the city are hard at work plowing and salting the streets while trying to keep up with the storm, which forecasters say is dumping about an inch of snow per hour in some parts of the tri-state area. Strong winds are also complicating the effort, with gusts of wind of up to 45 mph whipping the white stuff around.
“Snow is on the street. Snow is blowing around,” the Sanitation Department tweeted. “Our plows and spreaders have been out for hours, and will be out all day. You won’t see blacktop for quite some time.”
The storm has led to some mass transit disruptions. All NYC Ferry service has been suspended until further notice. The MTA has also suspended subway service to and from the Rockaways due to the heavy snowfall.
The city’s Emergency Management office advises all New Yorkers to stay at home this snowy Saturday — or to use trains and buses if they must go out.
“No matter how bad the roads are, the bus system continues to operate,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a video message posted to his Twitter account. “Let’s make sure that you’re careful if you move around today. The roads are pretty rugged. Fire Department is working. The city continues to move no matter how bad the weather is.”
Meanwhile, you can track the progress of Sanitation Department snow plows in your area by using the PlowNYC map.
