Jan. 7, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
New York City was blanketed by a large snowstorm early Friday with parts of Queens being hit the hardest.
The first widespread snowfall of the year saw LaGuardia Airport hit with 8.4 inches of snow — the largest total recorded in the five boroughs — while 5.5 inches covered John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
5.5 inches fell in Central Park while in Queens, Bayside saw 7.3 inches of snow while 6 inches fell in Elmhurst.
The snowfall caused havoc at area airports with hundreds of flight cancellations, including 340 at LaGuardia and 227 at JFK. The storm did not cause any major delays to subway trains in Queens.
The rough weather created hazardous conditions for motorists, with poor visibility and icy roads. The snowfall had moved out of Queens by around 9 a.m. but conditions remain dangerous with wet roads and snow turning to sludge.
Mayor Eric Adams praised Dept. of Sanitation crews for their efforts in clearing the deluge of snow. The DSNY had around 1,600 plows out to tackle the heavy snowfall– at a time when 22 percent of its workforce is out due to COVID-19.
“At the heart of all this [cleanup] is DSNY,” Adams said, while praising DSNY workers at a morning press briefing Friday. “We often overlook them, we often take them for granted, believing that no matter what, that this happens automatically. It does not.”
Adams vowed that the storm would not bring the city to a halt — while it also battles a health and economic crisis stemming from the coronavirus.
“A snowstorm is not going to stop us, an economic storm is not going to stop us,” Adams said. “We are going to forge ahead. No one does it like New York and anyone that thinks they can bet against New York there is another thing coming,”
The mayor decided that public schools would remain open for the day.
“We lost a lot of school days due to COVID… we don’t have any more days to waste,” Adams said.
Meanwhile, alternate side parking is suspended Friday and Saturday, the Dept. of Transporation said. However, parking meters will remain in effect.
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