A “cyclone bomb”. This is how the US Weather Service (NWS) characterized the storm that has been affecting the northeastern United States for two days, due to the explosive power of the rapid drops in atmospheric pressure it generates. The NWS recorded wind gusts of 80 to 120 km/h, and predicted polar temperatures at night as well as power cuts, usual every winter when the power of the wind or the weight of the snow tears the power lines.
More than 95,000 homes were without electricity, authorities announced on Saturday evening, as snow continued to fall. Several cities in the region recorded all-time records, with more than 70 cm of snow. In Boston, the 2003 record was equaled, the city being covered by 60 cm of powder on Saturday. 900 snowplows were deployed in the streets, advancing slowly. “The snow was supposed to be light, but it’s a little wet now, and therefore heavier,” commented snowplow driver Mark Burns. More than 3,500 flights were canceled in the region on Saturday, and more than 1,200 were already canceled for Sunday.
The “naked cowboy” still out in New York
In New York, snowplows and salt machines moved at snail’s speed to gradually clear the streets, while Central Park was under 20 cm of snow, and many railroad lines were closed. In snow-covered Times Square, the famous neon lights were no more than vague halos in the air full of snow.
But the few passers-by present fell stunned on the famous “naked cowboy”, alias Robert Burck, a street artist who plays the guitar and sings whatever the climate. As usual, he only wore his underpants, his hat and his cowboy boots, impassive despite the cold. “It’s fantastic,” says Gonzalo Vazquez, a Spanish tourist. “It’s as if we were skiing, but with all these lights and screens”.
Woman found dead in her car
In Brooklyn, in the trendy district of Cobble Hill, the sidewalks were covered with at least 30 centimeters of snow and many businesses closed. “Happy Snow Day!” (“Happy snow day!”), however, launched a resident of the district, all smiles, leaving one of the small brick buildings typical of the district, with white roofs. The gigantic metro network of the megalopolis of nine million inhabitants operated more or less normally and served, as for every bad weather, as a refuge for the thousands of homeless people in this city with deep socio-economic inequalities.
North of the city, on Long Island, the heart of the storm, 60 cm accumulated on Saturday evening, according to New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. She warned of “a very serious” and “potentially deadly” storm, but only a woman was found dead in her car, possibly freezing to death, according to Nassau County Chief Bruce Blakeman. “The most dangerous phase of the storm is now,” she said, asking residents “to continue at all costs to avoid moving while our teams clear the roads”.