Snowstorm paralyzes New York

In central New York, Central Park was blanketed in a beautiful white line on Tuesday, while the megacity and other parts of the northeastern United States — home to more than 30 million people — were paralyzed by 30 centimeters of snow in places.

The blizzard's expected effects by US weather: More than 1,220 flights were canceled by midnight, including nearly half at LaGuardia Airport and more than a quarter at Newark, New Jersey's largest airport. According to the FlightAware website, the New York suburbs account for 20% of historic JFK Airport's traffic.

“avoid moving”

Schools, courthouses and government offices were closed after the National Weather Service (NWS) advised motorists to drive. “very cautiously” Or “Avoid travel if possible”. New York City (8.5 million people), its landmarks such as Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge or Times Square and all the suburbs inhabited by millions were covered in a thick and brilliant white coat in the morning, reminiscent of images. Epinal in winter is one of the most famous cities in the world. Few joggers and dogs but already some snowmen and snowball fights in Central Park, according to AFP photographers.

The last snowfall in the city began on January 16, completing 700 days without snow. “Four to eight inches (10 to 20 cm) of snow and wind gusts of 65 km/h are expected” during the day, according to the New York City (NYC) warning system. Since dawn, it has been snowing 2.5 to 5 cm per hour “certain parts” The New York metropolitan area, particularly the residential suburbs of Westchester County north of the city, between the Atlantic and Hudson rivers, according to the NWS. To the west, the same is true in the industrial and bedroom suburbs of New Jersey and eastward on the Long Island peninsula toward the Atlantic.

Climate change

In total, 32 million people living in the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were affected by the severe weather, according to the NWS, with cities in New Jersey receiving up to 33 cm of snow. Aside from a small snow episode in mid-January, New York City hasn't seen this kind of rain since February 2022. On the other hand, in Christmas 2022, “Blizzard of the Century” And more than a meter of snow northwest of New York City, mostly in rural areas, caused dozens of deaths, especially in the city of Buffalo on the Canadian border hundreds of kilometers northwest of New York City. In the United States and the rest of the world, climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of summer and winter weather.