NEW YORK – After a long period of drought and fire hazards, we’re getting an early taste of winter.
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have been desperate for rain.
The storm system impacting the Tri-State Area not only brought much-needed rain, but it also brought snow. In some places, quite a lot of it.
By noon Friday, here are some of the top snow totals around our area:
NEW YORK (WABC) — Some neighborhoods north and west of New York City had to dig out from more than a foot of snow on Friday morning — and it’s not over yet.
It marked the first major snowfall of the year and, love it or hate it, it was needed to help deal with the ongoing drought conditions across the Tri-State.
One of the hardest-hit areas was Orange County. Parts of Warwick got hit with more than seven inches.
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The heavy, wet snow looked pretty – but caused plenty of power problems.
Crews from Orange and Rockland worked through the day restoring service to residents.
In Greenwood Lake, they were dealing with smoke of a different sort: a fallen tree sitting on a live power line. But that’s a far cry from the smoke and flames from the Jennings Creek Wildfire that threatened homes for nearly two weeks.
After smelling smoke from the brushfires just days ago, residents in Vernon Township, New Jersey, were also happy to dust off their shovels after getting much more snow than they anticipated.
Mother Nature didn’t hold back for the first snowfall of the season and brought about a foot of snow to the Highland Lakes community.
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Vernon Department of Public Works crews started Thursday night and worked through Friday to keep the roads safe for drivers.
One of the biggest concerns was the many fallen trees and branches.
New York City was entrapped in a barrage of snow in the early days of January 1996. The five boroughs shouldered more than 18 inches of snow, raging winds and storm surges that started on Jan. 7, 1996. The blizzard caused the city that never sleeps to snuggle under the covers for a few extra minutes before bracing the freezing temperatures to start the cleanup. After all, when you have to go to work, you have to go to work, and New Yorkers will bust out skis to get there. See how each borough trudged through the Blizzard of 1996.
“It’s been it’s been dry for how many weeks, and then all of a sudden you get this cold, wet, heavy snow on top of them, it just snaps the branches,” said Ed Babcock with the Vernon Township Department of Public Works. “You know, there’s no moisture in the branches to help, so, unfortunately, this is what we got.”
The downed trees took out power lines, causing over 1,000 people to wake up without power.
But that did little to dampen the spirts of some people in town. With school canceled for the day, kids took to the freshly fallen show to have a snowy day of fun.
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- High Point, N.J., about 70 miles northwest of New York City, had the greatest amount with 20 inches of snow
- A foot of snow accumulated in Callicoon Center, N.Y., about 120 miles northwest of New York City
- About 50 miles northwest of New York City, a foot of snow accumulated in Monroe, N.Y.
- Six inches of snow accumulated in Glen Spey, N.Y., about 90 miles northwest of the Big Apple
- 10 inches of snow accumulated in Monroe, N.Y., about 58 miles north of New York City
- About 70 miles northwest of New York City, 7.4 inches of snow accumulated in Port Jervis, N.Y.
The Tri-State Area has been parched, lately, causing drought warnings and burn bans in New York and New Jersey. Friday’s storm is providing some much-needed relief. In New Jersey, the statewide burn ban was lifted.
- 3.13 inches of rain fell in Long Island’s Miller Place
- Harrison, N.J. got 3.08 inches of rain, near the Passaic River
- Norwalk, Conn. got 2.70 inches of rain
- Ridgewood, N.J. got 2.37 inches of rain
- Armonk, N.Y. got 2.34 inches of rain
What this rain and snow means for the drought
Even though this storm brought us a winter preview, drought conditions will persist. The area, including our upstate reservoirs, has receive 1-3 inches, with additional precipitation expected through Friday night.
