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Birds of Inwood - Visit Teri's new blog about birds!
A visual journey exploring the birds of Inwood and Northern Manhattan

Storm Scenes: A Nor'easter Plows Into a Surprised New York City

We're still talking about the storm that came in yesterday, the surprisingly early wintry nor'easter. The hard rain, wind, and snow battered the city and pounded all of us who happened to be out in it. This morning, many folks are still dealing with the power outages and the broken tree branches with full sets of leaves. My phone rings regularly with notifications from Notify NYC about the precarious state of thousands of damaged trees, cautioning people of the ongoing dangers of wandering into the city's parks.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
October 29, 2011. 12:02 p.m. Lexington and 60th Street.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
October 29, 2011. Lexington and 60th. 12:04 p.m. 

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
October 29, 2011. Lexington and 60th. 12:09 pm.

When the wintery weather arrived in Manhattan in the early afternoon yesterday - far earlier in the day than many of us expected - I happened to be in the warm, dry, and perfumed confines of a department store on the Upper East Side. Others found themselves in a much more vulnerable environment. This morning, during the social hour following the 9 a.m. church service, I talked with a couple of guys who spent the day and night in Zuccotti Park. They said that they were so drenched in the freezing cold that at several times yesterday they didn't know if they were going to make it.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
October 29, 2011. Union Square. 1:03 p.m.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
October 29, 2011. Halloween store, 4th Avenue. 2:13 p.m.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
4th Avenue. 2:14 p.m.

The storm brought copious amounts of blowing precipitation, so that even knee-length coats failed to protect the lower extremities from getting drenched. I had left too many errands for yesterday, but with each subsequent journey, I resorted to the bigger and warmer coats and boots, the ones I normally reserve for January. This nor'easter required the big stuff.

The rare October snow presented a most confusing picture. At this time of year near Halloween, or a week or so after, fall colors typically peak in the city. Just as the leaves were showing their oranges and reds, here comes a dusting of snow white. Most strange.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
October 29, 2011. Washington Square Park. 2:30 p.m.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
October 29, 2011. Bust of Sylvette, Silver Towers, between Bleecker Street and Houston. 4:13 p.m.
Sylvette looks like she is frowning.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
October 29, 2011. 4: 18 p.m. LaGuardia Community Gardens.

By this morning, the coast was clear. It was time to see if everything was still OK.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
After the storm. A rose begins to recover. LaGuardia Community Gardens.
Sunday morning, October 30, 2011. 7:19 a.m.

Storm Scene: the Nor'easter in Manhattan
Sunday morning, October 30, 2011. 7:25 a.m. Washington Square Park.

Images from October 29 and 30, 2011 by Walking Off the Big Apple

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