Event Summary

On Thursday February 22, a low pressure system over the southeast U. S. quickly moved northeast off the mid-Atlantic coast by Thursday evening. Well north of this storm system, an overrunning pattern of mild, moist air over a pre-existing cold air mass allowed for a large area of moderate snow to develop and spread northeast into southeast New York during the afternoon hours. Although the event was relatively brief in duration, snowfall rates of one to two inches per hour were common. This created hazardous traveling conditions for the Thursday evening commute across the New York City metropolitan area and Long Island, resulting in numerous minor traffic accidents. As the low pressure system continued moving out to sea, the snow tapered off from west to east during Thursday night. Here are some specific snowfall amounts for this snow event: For New York County (Manhattan): 6 inches at Central Park. For Queens County: 4 inches at John F. Kennedy International Airport, to 6 inches at Fresh Meadows.