Thursday, March 10, 2005
March 9, 2005 In Wind, Snow, Cold and Frustration, a Dangerous Storm By LISA W. FODERARO
A day after spring seemed to burst out of hiding, winter came charging back to the New York region yesterday with a storm that brought plunging temperatures and wind-whipped snow that appeared strangely immune to gravity - blowing up and sideways as well as down. From street corners, office windows and front porches, many watched in dismay as the blizzard-like storm raged with intensity. Some said it seemed like a cruel joke on those who only hours earlier had doffed jackets and looked eagerly for crocus shoots. "It's completely unacceptable," said Louisa DeRose, a 24-year-old student at New York Law School, as she sipped coffee during a break outside on Worth Street. "I would rather that yesterday didn't happen. It was like a false ray of hope." The storm created hazardous conditions and resulted in major delays and frustration for thousands of drivers leaving work yesterday afternoon, just as standing water and slush on streets and highways was turning to ice. Last night, strong winds battered the region, pushing pedestrians off sidewalks in Midtown and toppling trees. There were delays and cancellations at all three New York area airports, with wind gusts posing more of a problem than snow on the runways. Several planes were diverted to Baltimore and Washington, but the decisions were made by pilots, not air traffic controllers, said James Peters, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. A Hawker aircraft that was landing at Teterboro Airport skidded 200 to 300 feet off a runway around 10:15 p.m., Tony Ciavolella, a spokesman for the airport, said. None of the two passengers and two crew members were injured, he said. It was not clear if weather was a factor, he said, but the airport was closed overnight. The state and local police reported numerous accidents and traffic tie-ups on icy roadways. On Route 3 in Clifton, N.J., traffic was backed up for several miles in both directions because of spinouts and fender-benders, as well as a jackknifed tractor-trailer. All eastbound lanes of the Long Island Expressway were shut down at Exit 49 just before 6 p.m. because of another jackknifed trailer. In Westchester County, 72 disabled vehicles and 19 accidents had been reported as of 6:30 p.m. "People are traveling in packs, and if one person panics and applies the brakes, you'll have several cars running into each other," said Lt. Michael J. Palumbo of the Westchester County police. Traffic on some avenues in Manhattan was nearly halted by 5 p.m. At Amsterdam Avenue and 122nd Street, where drivers must negotiate a hill, cars were spinning their wheels. Not far away, at Broadway and 110th Street, a pedestrian trying to cross the street was seen making a near perfect belly flop on the pavement. In Farmingdale, on Long Island, there was a three-hour backlog of calls to the state police for accidents and stranded vehicles. The storm started out as rain but turned to snow throughout much of the region as temperatures fell. Between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. in Central Park, the thermometer dropped to 24 degrees from 51 degrees. There were sustained winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour, and gusts of up to 48 miles per hour in White Plains and at Kennedy International Airport. Over all, the snowfall was relatively modest, with most places getting a few inches. By late afternoon, as the storm was winding down, 4 inches were recorded in Islip on Long Island; 4 inches in New Fairfield, Conn.; 2 inches in Bergenfield, N.J.; and 1.5 inches in Central Park. But a huge amount of snow fell in other areas, and the storm lingered longer over Long Island and eastern Connecticut. Averill Park, near Albany, received 18 inches, 5 of them in a single hour. "When it did come down, it came down pretty heavy and quick, and sometimes that can be just as disruptive as a storm that produces more snow but over a longer duration," said Todd Miner, a meteorologist at Pennsylvania State University. Many schools and organizations canceled afternoon and evening activates, while even some major retailers closed early. Power companies said they experienced scattered but mostly minor failures caused by high winds, as well as by cars that had crashed into utility poles. One exception was on Long Island, where 6,800 customers lost power, primarily in Manhasset, Merrick and East Meadow, the Long Island Power Authority reported. The snow arrived like a final dollop on top of an especially snowy winter, with 37 inches recorded in Central Park before yesterday's storm, according to Jeff Warner, a Penn State meteorologist. Normal snowfall through March 7 in the park is 19 inches, he said. Some parents and children seemed frustrated that the snow meant extra chores but little winter romping, what with the high winds and mainly skimpy accumulation. Walking in Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, Xavier Marechaux, a teacher, took off his fedora and plopped it on the head of his 6-year-old son, David. "I'm starting to get a little fed up," Mr. Marechaux said. "It was nice at the beginning, but I have to clean my sidewalk and my car, and it's still not enough for a really good snow day." But others seemed almost pleased to have been caught off guard. "I think it's a good thing," said Richard Diener, a retired social studies teacher who was in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. "Life still has to have mystery and surprise." And perhaps no one was as wistful as Andrew Walter, for whom it was moving day. Mr. Walter, a 35-year-old advertising executive bound for San Francisco, was clearing his sidewalk in Carroll Gardens, so the movers would not slip. "Today is the last time I'll see snow for a long time," he said, "so I'm happy about it." Reporting for this article was contributed by Peter Beller, Ann Farmer, John Holl, Colin Moynihan and Thomas J. Lueck. Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
