New York City awoke on Tuesday to the enchanting sight of a delicate layer of snow, bringing an end to an almost two-year absence of the characteristic winter scene in Central Park. The US National Weather Service (NWS) for the state and city of New York even took to the X platform (formerly Twitter) to announce the conclusion of the “long streak” of 701 days without “an inch (2.5 cm) of snow in Central Park.”
At 7:00 AM local time (12:00 PM GMT), Central Park, the vast green heart of Manhattan and a benchmark for measuring snowfall in the 8.5 million-strong metropolis, boasted at least 3.5 cm of accumulated snow. Other boroughs, including Brooklyn, also woke up to the long-awaited white blanket, reminiscent of winters before climate change began altering the seasons.
Following an extended weekend, the snowfall in the early hours of Tuesday led to traffic disruptions and school closures in the residential district of Westminster County, north of New York. Municipal workers were seen diligently clearing pathways on Manhattan sidewalks.
The snowfall marks a notable departure from the winter of 2022, which witnessed the “storm of the century” and over a meter of snow in the northern and western parts of New York State, causing significant disruptions and fatalities, particularly in Buffalo on the Canadian border. The recent snowfall in New York City has brought joy to residents, offering a picturesque winter scene and a nostalgic return to traditional snowy winters.