Mar 2, 2009 12:23 pm US/Eastern
NYC Storm Snarls Travel, Closes Public Schools
8-12 Inches Projected For NYC; 12+ In Parts Of Long Island
NYC Public Schools Closed For First Time In 5 Years
Up To 1,000 Flights Cancelled At Local Area Airports
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Frank in the Bronx took this photo of his Bronx neighborhood covered in snow.
CBS
A winter storm Monday crippled air travel, prompted the nation's largest public school district to declare a rare snow day and caused the death of a motorist.
The storm dumped up to a foot of snow on the metropolitan area, and wind gusts caused drifting in some spots.
More than 900 flights were canceled -- a majority of all flights at Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia airports, according to the Port Authority. Travelers were urged to call their carriers.
About 7 inches of snow was recorded at Central Park by Monday morning.
More than one million city school kids had an unplanned day off from the books. For 9-year-old Casey Gleicher, it meant her first sledding expedition with her father Paul.
"We're going sledding. We're buying a sled. I've never had a sled. I want one," said Gleigher.
Some parents also embraced the unexpected day off from school.
"Today is pretty wonderful. Today's the first day of statewide math tests and instead they're sledding," said Meg Chapman.
Meanwhile, hard working New Yorkers expressed characteristic resiliency.
"I thought it was over," Clarissa Arroyo said of the winter weather. "But it's not."
Nonetheless, Arroyo, who was getting her morning coffee from a cart on 34th Street in Manhattan, decided: "It's not as bad as they made it sound."
"I was very happy with the news this morning. To not have school today, it's great," said New York City 4th grader Clara Maleksha.
The National Weather Service said another 3 1/2 inches could fall by early afternoon. A storm warning was in effect until 6 p.m. Monday, with wind gusts near 35 mph, said meteorologist John Murray.
At the Port Authority terminal in midtown Manhattan, all "long haul" bus service on Greyhound, Peter Pan and Adirondack lines was canceled.
Spokesman Steve Coleman said 25 mph speed restrictions were being enforced at all its bridges.
Vehicular and pedestrian traffic was light during the morning commute.
Sidewalks were slushy and many crosswalks were snow packed. Some vehicles fishtailed on slippery streets. Drivers tried to maneuver out of snow-filled parking spots, tires spinning.
Bus and subway service was running near normal with scattered delays.
Long Island Rail Road and PATH service were running on or close to schedule. Metro-North reported delays of up to 30 minutes on some trains. It advised riders to allow extra time and to watch for slippery platforms.
Sunny but brisk and windy weather was expected for Tuesday.
CBS 2's Magee Hickey contributed to this report.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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