A significant winter snowstorm blanketed the New York City region, leaving more snow across the region in one day than in all of 2019, weather experts said Thursday.
A total of 6.5 inches of snow and sleet fell as of midnight in New York City’s Central Park, the National Weather Service’s New York City branch tweeted.
12:05 am: 6.5" of snow and sleet as of midnight at Central Park, NY. This winter storm is greater than the total snow for the 2019-2020 winter season of 4.8" #nycwx #nywx
— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) December 17, 2020
That total is compared to the entire 2019-2020 winter season’s total of 4.8 inches.
Between six and ten inches fell across New York City around 6:15 a.m. before the heaviest snowfall switched into a wintry mix, Accuweather meteorologist Isaac Longley told the New York Post.
“Last winter was a very mild winter and we really didn’t see any of those major winter storms, those nor’easters,” Longley told the Post.
“So a lot of locations, including New York City, did not really see a lot of snowfall at all. It was a record-breaking year in terms of low snowfall amounts.”
The dire forecast caused both New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) to declare states of emergencies long before the first flakes hit the ground, urging already quarantined residents due to the coronavirus to stay inside and off the icy roads.
“If you didn’t think we had enough on our plate, a big storm is a’comin’,” Cuomo told reporters during a livestreamed news conference ahead of the snowfall.
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