NYC records first significant snowfall of winter; hundreds of flights canceled

New York City recorded its first significant snowfall of the winter, with 1.8 inches accumulating in Central Park by Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said.

The city had only recorded 0.4 inches of snowfall this season before the storm that began Monday night.

Hundreds of flights into and out of New York were canceled Tuesday, including 150 at LaGuardia Airport, according to the tracking website Flight Aware. More than two dozen flights were also delayed at LaGuardia, where 2.7 inches of snow accumulated.

“Weather conditions have caused LGA Airport flight disruptions,” LaGuardia tweeted Tuesday. “Check with your airline to determine the status of your flight.”

Nearly 100 flights into or out of JFK Airport were canceled Tuesday, and more than 70 were canceled. NWS recorded 1.5 inches of snow there. Newark Liberty had nearly 50 cancellations and nearly 40 delays.

The Bronx experienced the largest amount of accumulated snow among the five boroughs, with NWS reporting 5.6 inches there. Many schools in New York and New Jersey announced delayed starts or canceled classes altogether.

New York prepared for the snowstorm Monday by pre-treating the roads with brine, according to the sanitation department, which said it had more than 700 million pounds of salt, more than 700 salt spreaders and more than 2,000 plowable vehicles available.

The rest of the snowfall recorded in the city this year came on Feb. 1, setting a new record for the latest day of winter with the first traceable snow. It ended the city’s near-record snowless streak at 328 consecutive days.

“With this being a snowless winter, we’re not accustomed to the snow,” Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, told the Daily News ahead of the storm Monday. “That first time out when you’re traveling on the snow, it catches people off-guard. It’s probably more of a nuisance storm for us than anything else.”

The U.S. recorded more than 450 flight cancellations and more than 700 delays overall Tuesday.