Well, that was a bit of a letdown regarding the snow.
New York City got merely a third of what was forecasted for a winter wonderland, but it was still enough to disrupt the travel plans of many visitors.
On Saturday morning, locals woke up to about 4 inches of snow—quite a difference from the predicted 11 inches.
“The storm encountered a lot of dense, cold air, which really slowed it down,” noted AccuWeather meteorologist Melissa Constancer.
Interestingly, the forecast shifted around 9 PM on Friday. City emergency management officials revised the snowfall estimate to just 2 to 5 inches across the boroughs.
Just a few hours earlier, the expectation was for a hefty 7 to 11 inches, which would have marked the largest snowfall since Central Park received 16.8 inches in 2021.
In Queens, the snowfall was the heaviest, with 4.6 inches reported by 7 AM. Other neighborhoods like Fordham, Williamsburg, and Central Park had slightly less, each receiving about 4.3 inches.
The snow was expected to taper off by 11 AM, but little additional accumulation was anticipated.
The Sanitation Department was on the case, spreading salt and clearing roads with around 700 salt spreaders out on the streets.
During the snowiest period in late January 2022, NYC gathered 4.3 inches of snow, while Central Park saw 8.3 inches, according to Constancer.
Nassau County experienced similar snowfall to NYC, but Suffolk County saw much higher amounts, with areas like Babylon and Orient hitting 7.5 inches.
Connecticut’s New Fairfield recorded the most significant snowfall in the metro area, with 9 inches by 4 AM.
All three major airports faced between 4.1 and 4.3 inches of snow, leading to the cancellation of numerous flights and stranding thousands of passengers.
Specifically, JFK International Airport led the pack with 133 flight cancellations and 73 delays, as reported by FlightAware. LaGuardia and Newark airports had 85 and 70 cancellations, respectively.
AJ Abad and his family should have had a two-hour layover at JFK after returning from a trip to the Philippines. By Saturday morning, however, they had been stuck for 36 hours.
“We couldn’t sleep, just kept walking around. When we asked for a hotel, they told us no since the cancellations were weather-related,” Abad shared. “Last night, there were rows of people sleeping on the floor.”
Abad’s family, including her 55-year-old mother-in-law and a 15-year-old sister-in-law, had a chance at two standby seats but were still facing a longer-than-expected stay.
All hotels nearby were fully booked, and while American Airlines provided some blankets and pillows, they didn’t have enough for everyone.
Initially, Abad felt frustrated. “I just want to go home; there’s nothing I can do. I’m only two hours away from home,” she said. “I’m looking forward to a warm bath, toothpaste, and a toothbrush. For now, I’m just trying to make the best of it.”
