New York shut down two airports and most city services Thursday in the wake of a rare thunder-snow storm that paralysed air and ground travel everywhere from Washington to as far north as Boston. After building up early Wednesday with ice and freezing rain, the storm blindsided the US capital at the height of the evening rush hour, not even sparing President Barack Obama, who faced travel delays upon returning from a day trip to the US Midwest.
In New York, John F. Kennedy Airport and Newark Airport in New Jersey were closed just after midnight as the storm, simultaneously erupting with lightening and thunder, blanketed the region in more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow. They were both due to reopen later Thursday.
There were similar delays all along the corridor from Washington to Boston, leading to cancellation late Wednesday of several hundred flights and the brief shutdown of Dulles International and Reagan National in the US capital. More than 420,000 people saw power cuts in the Washington area and millions more woke Thursday to treacherous road commutes and rail and bus suspensions. The storm, an unusual thunder and snow combination, was the fifth major snowfall in as many weeks for parts of America's east coast.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered all but essential city services shut and school cancelled. "New York City almost never takes a snow day, but today is one of those rare days. People should stay at home and off the roads. There are extensive service delays on mass transit, including a suspension of all bus service," Bloomberg said.
The billionaire mayor, who prides himself on using his corporate management skills in running the country's largest city, took a public battering earlier this month over what was seen as his mishandling of prolonged blizzard. Even Obama was not spared snow-related inconvenience. He had to use a motorcade - instead of his helicopter - to get from Andrews Air Force Base to the White House. Snow created treacherous road conditions that caused several cars to skid off the road or become stuck in the snow, slowing the presidential motorcade, which made it to the White House at 5:58 pm.
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