It had been more than two years since New York City experienced a snowstorm that dropped several inches of snow. That streak came to an end as a nor'easter slammed the region Tuesday.
A winter storm warning was issued for a swath of the Northeast from central Pennsylvania to the cape of Massachusetts for a storm striking the area. A band of 6-10 inches of snow was expected to fall in the region. Some areas ended up receiving over 12 inches of snow.
Most of the warnings were dropped by Tuesday afternoon, with only a handful of counties on Long Island and southern New Hampshire still under the warning.
The expected path of the storm shifted a bit to the south in recent days. Forecasters put out a winter storm warning for the Boston area, but later downgraded it to a winter weather advisory after predictions for the area dropped. Instead of getting over 6 inches of snow, the Boston area is expected to get 3-5 inches.
The winter storm brought an abrupt end to mild conditions in which temperatures reached well into the 50s over the weekend.
As of Tuesday afternoon, West Hartford, Connecticut, had the highest reported snowfall total at over 15 inches. Central Park in New York had reported 3.2 inches of snow. Over 6 inches of snow was reported at Coney Island. The last time more than 3 inches of snow fell on New York was January 2022.
About 1.6 inches of snow fell on downtown Philadelphia, the National Weather Service reported.
Now that most of the heavy snow has ended, some lingering concerns remain.
"Strong winds are expected on the back side of the departing low center, and this coupled with the heavy, wet snow may result in downed trees and power lines which will result in concerns for power outages," the National Weather Service said.
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The storm is having significant impacts on air travel. According to FlightAware, 37% of flights leaving New York's LaGuardia Airport have been canceled as of early Tuesday afternoon. The website also reported about 27% of flights departing Newark Liberty International Airport were canceled for Tuesday.
About 26% of flights leaving Boston Logan International Airport were canceled as nearly 20% of flights for Tuesday have been canceled at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The storm also marks the first time this year that New York's public school system has shifted from in-person learning to remote. School buildings were closed on Tuesday.
Prior to Tuesday's storm, Manhattan picked up just 2.3 inches of snow thus far this winter, down from an average of 18.5 inches at this point in the season.
