Event Summary

With an exceptionally strong high pressure system over New England, a low pressure system developed off the Mid Atlantic Coast. Periods of light snow developed as northeast winds increased to around 15 mph across the NYC Metro area Sunday afternoon, February 16th. Snow became widespread and heavy, falling at rates up to 2 to 3 inches per hour Sunday night and Monday, February 17th. Heavy snow blown by northeast winds 20 to 30 mph caused near blizzard conditions throughout the area. Record heavy snowfalls crippled mass transit. These extremely hazardous weather conditions led to local emergency declarations throughout the region. In New York City, the cost estimate for total snowfall operations was around 20 million dollars. In addition, widespread moderate beach erosion and minor tidal flooding accompanied this system. Storm Total Snowfall ranged from around 14 to 28 inches. Here are selected specific snowfall amounts for: New York City: from 15.5 inches at Marine Park in Brooklyn to 25.6 inches at JFK Airport. At the Central Park Zoo, 19.8 inches was measured. At LaGuardia Airport, 16.5 inches was measured.