New York Rebounds After Winter Storm

January 24, 2016

The blizzard that hit the US East Coast was one of the worst on record, with thousands of flights cancelled throughout the region.

The National Weather Service said 22.4 inches (57 cm) fell in Washington at the National Zoo and BWI Airport notched a record 29.2 inches (74 cm). The deepest regional total was 42 inches (107 cm) at Glengarry, West Virginia.

The blizzard was the second-biggest snowstorm in New York City history, with 26.8 inches (68 cm) of snow in Central Park by midnight on Saturday, just short of the record 26.9 inches (68.3 cm) set in 2006, the National Weather Service said.

FLIGHTS CANCELLED

More than 3,900 flights were cancelled on Sunday, and 900 were called off for Monday, according to aviation website FlightAware.

Among New York-area airports, JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia were open, with limited flight activity expected on Sunday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said.

DIGGING OUT

Midtown Manhattan came back to life on a bright and sunny Sunday as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and playing in massive snow drifts.

In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit system closed until Sunday. The Office of Personnel Management said federal government offices in the Washington area will be closed on Monday, along with local government offices and schools.

HISTORIC STORM

Thirteen people were killed in weather-related car crashes in Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia on Saturday. One person died in Maryland and three in New York while moving snow. Two died of hypothermia in Virginia, and one from carbon monoxide poisoning in Pennsylvania, officials said.

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo lifted a travel ban on New York City-area roads and on Long Island at 7 am Sunday. A state of emergency declared by Cuomo was still in place.

Most bus and subway services operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were up and running again by 9 am, officials said. The agency was working on restoring full service on Sunday.

The Metro-North rail line, which serves suburbs north and east of New York City, was restored on Sunday afternoon and was operating on a Sunday schedule. Service remained suspended on the Long Island Rail Road.

(Reuters)