Tri-State Area Residents Hit With Icy Start; More Snow Coming Later In Week
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Tri-State Area residents were sick and tired of winter misery Monday, as they were stuck breaking rocks of ice in the sidewalk and thawing out their vehicles after a winter storm hit the Tri-State area.
And while conditions on Monday were dry and above freezing, another round of snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected on Tuesday evening through early Wednesday morning.
Earlier on Monday, drivers cleaned off cars and trucks while others tended to walkways, but many faced slick conditions during the morning rush.
"It's really bad; really slick," said driver Katie Hackett. "Very cold, very wet. It's dangerous."
"I think just navigating the slippery spots," Kimberly Parasher, who is visiting her daughter on the Upper West Side, told CBS2's Elise Finch. "That's the worst of it for me."
Many Monday said they are totally over this wintry weather.
"I'm waiting for the day when I can walk outside in shorts and a tank top and be happy," one woman said. "I want summer."
"Definitely had enough," another man said.
But that won't be happening anytime soon. Instead, boots and snow shovels will again be required later in the week.
The New York City Office of Emergency Management on Monday issued a travel advisory – to take effect from 3 p.m. Tuesday through 2 a.m. Wednesday. A total of 1 to 3 inches of snow and a trace of ice are expected to accompany the winter weather system starting Tuesday afternoon, the city said.
Mixed precipitation and sleet will supplant the snow after 11 p.m. Tuesday, CBS2 Chief Meteorologist and Weather Producer Giorgio Panetta reported. But as the front sags south, the backside of the cold front passes and could give the area another round of snow Thursday morning.
The Department of Transportation will deploy anti-icing units to all the East River bridges, and is pre-treating pedestrian overpasses and step streets.
Motorists are advised to drive slowly, stick to major streets or highways if possible as they will be cleared first, keep the name and number of a towing service just in case, and stay with their cars and contact that towing company if they get stuck on the road.
Pedestrians are advised to avoid slippery surfaces and wear sturdy boots that provide traction, and watch closely for cars. Seniors should take extra care to avoid falls, the city said.
The storm will follow on the heels of the one that dumped 4.8 inches of snow in Central Park, and 7 inches in Eastern Long Island and parts of Connecticut. In New Jersey on Sunday, more than 3 inches of snow fell in the state's northern counties, and up to a quarter-inch of ice accumulated in central and southern Jersey.
As CBS2's Elise Finch reported, even ample sunshine as Monday went on was a problem. It melted snow and ice that fell off of buildings in chunks, endangering people walking down below.
February was the third coldest month on record with an average monthly temperature of 23.9 degrees. The typical monthly temperature should be just over 35 degrees.
Some people say this winter's record breaking cold temperatures are by far the worst part.
"When that temperature gets below 20, 15, and that wind chill, that's what hurts," Korey Jackson said.
On March 1, people were optimistic that a new month would bring a new weather pattern.
Instead we got several more inches of snow.
On the second day of March there were more ice chunks floating down the Hudson. Temperatures were below average and felt even colder with the wind.
Even with bright sunshine for most of the day people had to bundle up to head outdoors, and it seems like people had to dodge puddles of dirty water and slush at almost every corner.
"This is the stuff that bothers me, because this little skating pond will become ice tonight and that's a pain in the neck," Linda Loffredo said.
All anyone can do is deal with the conditions we're being dealt, count down the 18 days until the start of spring and ream about the kind of weather we're anxious to see.
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