The first snowstorm of 2014 canceled hundreds of flights, caused a state of emergency and shut down the Long Island Expressway — before the first inch even fell.
And after the much-hyped storm dropped more than 5 inches of snow in the metro area by Friday morning,Chancellor Carmen Fariña has announced all city schools were closed. Student after-school and PSAL games were also canceled. Senior centers were also closed.
But even before the wicked winter weather arrived, Gov. Cuomo imposed a state of emergency throughout the Empire State and ordered closures of the Thruway, Interstate 84 and the Long Island Expressway.
The flurries blew throughout Brooklyn and Queens, slowing traffic to a crawl in the thick powder that hardened into ice as the morning progressed.
Wind gusts kicked up snow as a black sedan labored through a snow bank on Kingston Ave. on Empire Blvd. in Crown Heights.
Police cruisers, plows, and ambulances meandered along East New York Ave in Brownsville, scanning for disabled vehicles.
“Driving was not easy, it’s been very slow,” said Diallo Hamidou, 42, a livery cab driver from Bed-Stuy who shivered as he walked on East New York Ave toward Ralph Ave around 1:30 a.m.
RELATED: NORTHEAST GETS SLAMMED BY SNOW
“I just finished work. I dropped off the car now I’m taking the subway home to get out of this.”
“There weren’t many passengers. I had maybe ten hails. Normally I’d have 20 to 25. Not many people were out … I was slipping everywhere.”
On Jamaica Ave. in Queens, the few cars on the road slid past red lights into the center of intersections. With iced-over windshields and minimum visibility, many labored to gain traction in snow drifts along the thoroughfare. Most moved too slow to be any significant danger, creeping along with their hazard lights on.
Con Ed is showing partial power outages in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn and Morris Heights, with around 86 customers affected in the Bronx..
PSEG Long Island has reported that as many as 822 of its 1.1 million customers were left without power overnight.
The snowstorm stranded passengers after more than 700 flights were canceled at the three New York City-area airports. More than 350 flights were canceled at Newark Airport, 250 at La Guardia Airport and another 100 at Kennedy Airport – which was shut down until 9:30 a.m., officials said.
Delta Flight 2370 out of La Guardia to West Palm Beach had to make an emergency landing at JFK — after it was delayed three hours — because the “engine froze,” officials said, according to passengers.
Heavy snow continues to bucket down in the city
“As we were taking off, I noticed the engine didn’t sound normal, and then I started to smell a wire burning,” said New York native Rudy Willis, 63.
“We must have been in the air maybe 20 minutes and it turns out that one of the engines had burned out,” the Royal Palm Beach, Fla., resident said. “The captain announced that we were going to make an emergency landing.”
Lisbeth Bibino, 37, and husband Nelson Prieto, 40, sat on the floor near the Delta kiosk at Kennedy Airport. Their two daughters, ages 8 and 3, were curled up on the floor in red blankets provided by the airline. Their flight was supposed to leave at 7 p.m., now they’re hoping it will leave by 7 a.m.
“We hoping,” Bibino said. “We trying to go to Puerto Rico. We were on vacation in New York.”
“My daughter started crying when the flight was canceled. She was afraid to stay over at the airport,” Bibino said. “I’ve never had to stay at the airport before so I didn’t know what to expect. It’s definitely an adventure, but I hope it’s only for one night.”
Early Friday, officials announced all city courthouses were closed and the New York Public Library, along with the Brooklyn and Queens public libraries, were planning to open at noon.
The Thruway and LIE were closed from midnight until 8 a.m. Friday. I-84 was shut down at 5 p.m. to commercial traffic, with a complete closure kicking in at midnight.
RELATED: PALS ASK DANTE: SNOW DAY FRIDAY?
Long Island braced for up to a foot of snow, while upstate buckled down for up to 14 inches.
“This is nothing to be trifled with,” Cuomo declared in a conference call with reporters. “We have learned too well over the past years the power of Mother Nature.”
Metro-North commuters were warned that trains will operate on a Saturday schedule, and the governor advised people to stay home.
“People should not be on the road unless they definitely need to be,” said Cuomo.
There was one bit of good storm news: de Blasio’s neighbors were heartened to see a salt spreader on their street early Thursday. De Blasio griped after a December 2010 storm — after which Mayor Bloomberg was roundly criticized for a slow response — that his Park Slope neighborhood went unplowed for two days.
“What would you do, make him last?” asked Patsy Cetta, a retired Daily News delivery truck driver and 50-year resident of the ’hood. “He’s the mayor.”
De Blasio said there will also be additional personnel brought in to staff the 911 system.
RELATED: DRIVER DIES IN CRASH ON SNOW-DUSTED LIE
“Our city sanitation workers are on full mobilization,” he said. Overnight into Friday the FDNY will have additional ambulances on the streets that will be equipped with snow chains on their tires.
Sanitation workers will be doing 12-hour shifts, with more than 2300 workers on each shift. As many as 450 salt-spreaders are prepared for deployment, and as soon as more than 2 inches of snow falls, 1,700 plows will be put into action. Their progress can even be tracked at www.nyc.gov using the PlowNYC feature.
Alternate side parking has been suspended for Friday.
“It’s going to be a difficult night. And that’s why I warn people: Stay in, be careful,” said city Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty. “A lot of people expect in New York City to see all blacktop, all the time. It’s not gonna happen tonight. It’s gonna take us a while….
“Plows will be out there working through the night. And the wind and the gusts and the blowing light snow is going to be difficult for everyone.”
In the calm before the first snowstorm of the new year, John Portelli ran out to buy a new shovel and two bags of salt.
“You’ve got to be ready,” advised Portelli, 60, as he left the H. Brickman Sons hardware store on First Ave. in Manhattan. “If I don’t use it today, I’ll use it for the next storm.”
RELATED: NEAR-BLIZZARD CONDITIONS, 9 INCHES OF SNOW EXPECTED IN NYC
The city began loading its 365 salt spreaders and prepping its snow plows on New Year’s Day. A plan was already in place to bring in workers on overtime if the storm warranted it.
The weather service has scheduled a winter storm warning to go from Thursday at 6 p.m. through Friday at 1 p.m. for “heavy snow, strong winds and dangerously cold wind chills.”
The city Department of Buildings warned property owners and contractors to properly secure buildings and construction sites — or face possible fines or a work stoppage.
City officials plan random spot-checks to insure compliance with the law.
Ruben Morales, the manager at H. Brickman, said storm-related supplies started flying off the shelves as soon as the doors opened.
“We’ve been selling shovels, hand warmers, weather stripping, windshield fluid, snow brushes, gloves — you name it,” said Morales, 60.
Others opted for sustenance over snow shovels.
Demry Reyes, 58, exited The Food Emporium near Union Square with a shopping cart full of food.
“I’m a personal shopper, and my boss — she said to get food for the storm,” said Reyes. “She lives down the road. Today we’re getting more than normal. I bought water, juices and bread.”
With Kerry Burke, Michael J. Feeney, Corinne Lestch, Joseph Stepansky, Pete Donohue, Jennifer Fermino and Sean Keane
