The strong winds and nearly 8 inches of snow left the city no choice but shutter schools this morning, Mayor Bloomberg said.
Although the decision left many parents scrambling for childcare at the last minute, Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein stood by their decision to have the city’s 1.1 million public school students stay home.
Snowed in? Share Your Snow Day Pictures
“We’re comfortable that today’s a day for a snow day,” Klein said in an interview with WCBS/Channel 2.
The last time the city closed schools because of heavy snow was on Jan. 28, 2004.
Klein made the decision to keep schools closed at 5:40 a.m. – with Bloomberg telling parents who were caught by surprise that they should have called the city’s 311 information hotline before heading out.
Bloomberg said the strong winds and fast-falling snow made it unsafe to keep schools open today – although things should return to normal in 24 hours.
“For those kids who were hoping for two consecutive snow days in a row, things can always change, but my suggestion is to do your homework!” he said.
The burst of snow did deal a nasty blow to the city – crippling air travel and forcing millions to have to deal with a messy morning commute.
The roaring storm even caused the death of a Long Island motorist.
By noon, there was already eight inches of snow recorded in Central Park – close to the one-day record for March snowfall in Manhattan of 10 inches set in 1896.
Nearly 1,000 flights were canceled – a majority of all flights at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports.
More than 100,000 tons of salt will be on hand to combat the snow and sleet.
“We’re going to be making every effort to have the roadways open,” said Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty.
Police said the icy roads in Greenlawn, LI, caused an accident that killed a motorist as the snowstorm began Sunday night.
Jose Fuentes, 57, of Huntington, lost control of his 1990 Toyota four-door sedan at about 9 p.m., just as the storm was starting, and was struck by a van.