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Flashback: Snowfall in New York, 1947
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 6, 2010
Modified Dec 6, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 6, 2010
Modified Dec 6, 2010
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It may be an unimpressive first snow of the season, but it is snowing out there—which means we've got months of cold weather and more white stuff ahead. Here's a look back on one of the biggest snowstorms to hit the city, on December 26 and 27th of 1947. By the end of those two days, Central Park was blanketed in a whopping 26.4 inches of snow; according to NYC.gov, "the blizzard of 1947 still holds rank as the biggest snowstorm in New York City history. As moisture in the Gulf Stream fed the storm's energy, the City was paralyzed when the blizzard barreled its way through, stranding cars and buses in the streets, halting subway service, and claiming 77 lives." (However, in 2006 Central Park received 26.9 inches of snow.)
How did the snow distribute over the boroughs? HNN notes that the 1947 blizzard was what's known as a mesoscale: "instead of a fairly even distribution over a vast area, this 'big snow' fell squarely over New York City. Manhattan received 26.1 inches; both the Bronx and Staten Island had 25; 27.2 in Brooklyn; 24.6 in Queens. Very little snow from this system fell anywhere else."
Think we can break some records this year?
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1947
flashback
snow
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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