Brutal Cold Arrives on Heels Of Snowstorm in New York

Bitter cold and gusty winds overnight meant New Yorkers awoke Tuesday to some treacherous travel along roadways and sidewalks, where winter’s precipitation had turned into an icy mess.

Temperatures plunged to as low as minus-25 degrees in parts of upstate early Tuesday, a day after a storm dumped more than a foot of snow from Buffalo to the Hudson Valley. The National Weather Service said it was 25 below before dawn in Glens Falls.

Temperatures were in the teens in the New York City metro area, which received 6 inches to a foot of snow on Monday. Wind chill made it feel like 5 below in Manhattan on Tuesday morning and 20 to 30 below in some upstate areas.

The extreme cold, about 10 degrees lower than normal for this time of year, meant any snow-covered roads that hadn’t gotten treated or anyplace snow had melted had turned into dangerous black ice for commuters Tuesday morning.

Winter weather hit the state hard on Monday. Hundreds of flights were canceled in the city as trains were delayed, driving was dangerous and even the subway system struggled with the storm. A No. 7 train in Queens lost power for 2 1/2 hours, and a rescue train had to be sent for the stranded passengers.

“Everyone on the train was in decent spirits, since there was literally nothing we could do about it,” passenger Ashley Carr said

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the February 4th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.