Brooklyn was covered in a blanket of white snow Tuesday, thanks to a winter storm that’s expected to deliver the five boroughs’ biggest snowfall in two years.
As of 7:50 a.m. on Feb. 13, the National Weather Service said some areas of the Big Apple had reported heavy snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour. By about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol reported about 3 to 4 inches of snow observed on the ground, and that citywide, storm totals could range between 4 to 6 inches.
Good morning, Brooklyn!
Our three-year-old took out the sleds, and we're waiting to see if there is enough snow. pic.twitter.com/axf0mfIfyQ
— Yaacov Behrman (@ChabadLubavitch) February 13, 2024
As of early afternoon, much of the fallen snow in Brooklyn had turned to slush — but flakes are continuing to fall in some areas.
Ahead of the anticipated storm, New York City public schools were shifted to remote learning for Tuesday. But all is not going according to plan; the Department of Education reported that they are having technical difficulties with the system students and teachers use to log into class.
“We are currently experiencing issues with services that require IBM authentication to login,” the DOE posted on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) Tuesday morning at 8:22 a.m. “We are actively working with IBM to resolve. We will provide an update as soon as possible.”
The DOE has since reported that IBM “added capacity and improvements are rolling out across the system” in order to address the issue.
The Sanitation Department, meanwhile, mobilized its fleet of more than 700 salt spreaders and 2,000 garbage trucks equipped with plows. The entire city has been plowed at least once thus far, according to Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The city’s Transportation Department suspended alternate-side parking rules (though you’ll still need to feed the meters).
“Please stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary,” Mayor Eric Adams posted on X on Tuesday morning. “If you must travel, please use public transportation.”
The MTA has reported some subway disruptions as of noon Tuesday. Southbound B train service were forced to shift to the local track from Brighton Beach to Kings Highway due to a switch problem at Brighton Beach, where the line runs above-ground. The N train is also running on the local track in Brooklyn between 59th and 36th Streets because some trains are being stored on the express track underground.
Buses are also running at or close to schedule; on Monday, crews equipped many of the vehicles with snow chains to ensure continued operation in even the worst conditions. Visit MTA.info for the latest details on service changes.
The storm also closed Brooklyn libraries, and institutions like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and halted a number of scheduled community board meetings. Perhaps most notably, the frigid weather put Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s annual State of the Borough Address on ice. The beeps’ office has promised to alert Brooklynites to the rain date once it is chosen.
It has been a very long time since New York City saw a snowstorm like the one hitting the city today. The last time Central Park recorded a snowfall of more than 1 inch was two years ago Tuesday, to be exact, when 2.3 inches of snow fell on Feb. 13, 2022.
