First Blizzard in 10 years hits New York City

By Drew Covington

Courtesy of New York Magazine

This weekend, New York faced its first blizzard in about a decade, with areas facing dozens of inches of snow. 

Going into Sunday and Monday, the projected snow totals were large, and they did not disappoint. The snowstorm was recorded as the ninth-largest blizzard in Central Park, which received over 19 inches of snow. Places like Long Island and New Jersey got 31 inches of snow, which would make it the biggest snowstorm since 1963. The Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, enlisted a paid snow shoveler position open to all citizens during the emergency. 

“I was made aware of the blizzard through my uncle’s Instagram post on February 21st that said there was a blizzard warning issued for the first time in 9 years,” said Kiara-Lee Wright, a third-year political science major, psychology minor, on the pre-law track from the Bronx, New York. 

On that Monday, classes were canceled due to the mayor’s office. Mamdani announced that on Tuesday, children would return to school. Some people, such as Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, believed that schools should’ve remained closed, while others, such as Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, described the situation as "a big mess."

"There's going to be low attendance of students. You're going to have low attendance of staff because people don't know if they can travel, if they can get to schools,” Mulgrew told ABC7 New York. 

“I am going back home to NYC for spring break. Hopefully, the snow is gone when I get back. But the past two years, when I’ve gone home for spring break, it’s always been above 60 degrees and warm, so I have faith,” said Wright. 

Currently, the projected temperature in New York next Saturday is 50 to 54 degrees between Friday and Saturday.