Event Summary

A large and slow moving low pressure developed along the Middle Atlantic coast on Wednesday, March 21st and moved slowly north and east along the coast through Thursday, March 22nd. Moderate to heavy snow bands moved across Long Island and New York City with lighter snow across the Lower Hudson Valley. The heaviest snow occurred in New York City and Long Island Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. The highest snowfall rates occurred on Long Island with generally 2 to 4 inches per hour at times. The NWS official observation at the Islip Airport indicated a snowfall rate of 5 inches per hour between 9pm and 10pm on March 21st with around 9 inches of snow falling from 8pm to 10pm. Within these heavier bands, near-blizzard conditions occurred with visibilities one quarter mile or less and winds gusting 30 to 35 mph.