Jennifer Yokley, who was there on a holiday trip from North Carolina, said she was excited to see snow accumulating as it dusted buildings, trees and signs throughout the city.
“I think it was absolutely beautiful,” she said.
A man shovels snow in Brooklyn.Credit: Getty Images
Children and adults sled in the snow in Brooklyn.Credit: Getty Images
Payton Baker and Kolby Gray, who were visiting from West Virginia, said the snow was a Christmas surprise for their third anniversary trip.
“Well, it’s very cold, and it was very unexpected,” Baker said, her breath visible in the winter air. “The city is working pretty well to get all the roads salted and everything, so it’s all right.”
Ahead of the storm, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for more than half the state. Acting New Jersey Governor Tahesha Way also declared a state of emergency for that state.
The New York City metro area received over 10cm of snow.Credit: Getty Images
“This storm will cause dangerous road conditions and impact holiday travel,” Way said in a statement. “We are urging travellers to avoid travel during the storm and allow crews to tend to the roads. Drivers should plan their travel accordingly, monitor conditions and road closures, and follow all safety protocols.”
Four dead in California
On the other side of the country, California was experiencing a fairly dry weekend after powerful storms battered the state with heavy rains, flash flooding and mudslides. At least four people were killed, including a man who was found dead on Friday in a partially submerged car near Lancaster, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
Some mountainous areas received 25 to 45 centimetres of rain over three days, peaking on Christmas Eve, National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said. There were varied amounts of rain in other populated areas, including up to 10 centimetres across the Los Angeles Basin and many coastal areas.
California was battered by heavy rains, flash flooding and mudslides.Credit: AP
There was significant damage to homes and cars in Wrightwood, a 5000-resident mountain town about 130 kilometres north-east of Los Angeles, as floods and mudslides turned roads into rivers and buried vehicles in rock and debris.
Before rain reappears in the forecast later next week, California was expected to experience Santa Ana winds with gusts of over 96km/h in mountainous areas from Sunday night through Tuesday. The winds could uproot saturated trees and cause power outages.
