The first major winter storm of 2014 blasted a large area of the U.S. overnight. Packing heavy snow, high winds, and bitterly cold air, it impacted nearly twenty states from the Mid-West to New England.

Locally, the storm brought New York City 6.4 inches of powdery snow.  On average, the city usually receives 7 inches for the entire month of January. The storm also sent temperatures plummeting.  The high reading in the Central Park today was only 18°F.  Tonight, the temperature is expected to drop to a frigid 5°F.  When you factor in the wind chill, it will feel like -10°F.  Our normal high for this time of year is 39°F and our normal low is 28°F.

Central Park’s Bow Bridge in the snow.  Image Credit: The Weather Gamut.

View of midtown Manhattan’s skyline from snow-covered Central Park.                                      Image Credit: The Weather Gamut.