NYC Snowfall: City Dodges Bullet As Storm Wallops Region

NEW YORK, NY — As bad as "thundersnow" sounds, Wednesday's nor'easter could have been much worse for New York City. Most of the city saw just a few inches of snow accumulation from the storm, tiny amounts compared to the two feet that hit some areas just outside the five boroughs.

The storm was expected to drop eight to 12 inches on the five boroughs after its path shifted to the southeast. But the National Weather Service reported 3.2 inches of snow in Central Park as of 1 a.m. Thursday, well after the storm had tapered off.

Little Neck, Queens, near the Nassau County border, saw the most accumulation in the five boroughs: 4.7 inches as of 6 p.m. Wednesday. That measurement was taken as snow was still falling heavily in much of the city.

Fewer than three inches fell at John F. Kennedy Airport. Sheepshead Bay in South Brooklyn had 4.1 inches as of Wednesday night, while Morris Park in the Bronx had 2.5 inches.

New York City may have dodged a bullet — the storm dumped two feet of snow on some surburban areas just outside the five boroughs. Thousands of people are without power in the Hudson Valley and on Long Island, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office said.

The National Weather Service reported 26 inches of snow in Sloatsburg in Rockland County, about 36 miles north of Midtown Manhattan, as of Wednesday evening. Some 13.5 inches hit Armonk in Westchester County, a county where more than 42,000 people had lost power as of late Wednesday night, state officials said.

New Jersey got slammed, too — 24 inches of snow fell in Franklin Lakes, fewer than 30 miles from Midtown. Some 23 inches hit North Caldwell, located fewer than 20 miles from Midtown.

The storm continued to cause trouble during Thursday morning's commute, especially on NJ Transit and the Metro-North Railroad to the Hudson Valley and Connecticut. Dozens of flights at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports were canceled Thursday in the storm's aftermath.

Here's a look at the snowfall estimates for the National Weather Service observation points in New York City.

Manhattan

• Central Park — 3.2 inches
• Harlem — 1.2 inches

Brooklyn

• Sheepshead Bay — 4.1 inches
• Flatlands — 3.5 inches
• Midwood — 3.0 inches
• East Flatbush — 1.5 inches

Queens

• Little Neck — 4.7 inches
• Middle Village — 3.5 inches
• Whitestone — 3 inches
• JFK Airport — 2.8 inches
• Walden Terrace — 2 inches
• LaGuardia Airport — 1.7 inches

Bronx

• Morris Park — 2.5 inches
• Parkchester — 2.3 inches

Staten Island

• Oakwood Heights — 3.8 inches

(Lead image: Vehicles navigate the snow on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn on Wednesday. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)