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US snow: National Weather Service admits forecast error | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The US National Weather Service (NWS) has admitted its forecasts were wrong, after predicting a "potentially historic blizzard" would strike. | |
The storm piled deep snow on Connecticut and Massachusetts, but New York City was largely spared. | |
The city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, defended claims he had overreacted to warnings, saying he had only acted on the information available. | |
Blizzard warnings remain along the coast from Long Island to Maine. | Blizzard warnings remain along the coast from Long Island to Maine. |
"Rapidly deepening winter storms are very challenging to predict," the NWS wrote on its Facebook page. | |
"The storm has moved further east and will be departing faster than our forecasts of the past two days. | |
"The result is much less snow than previously predicted for the western half of our region," it added. | |
On Monday an emergency was declared in a swathe of north-eastern states, and meteorologists predicted up to 90cm (36in) of snow. Officials later downgraded the numbers. | |
The New York City authorities imposed a driving ban - since lifted - and took the unprecedented step of shutting the subway. | |
But on Tuesday New Yorkers awoke to a blanket of snow less deep than feared, and since then city life has been getting back to normal. | |
"Would you rather be prepared or unprepared? Would you rather be safe or unsafe?" said Mr de Blasio, defending the moves. | |
Analysis | |
Nick Bryant, BBC News, New York | |
Shutting down the New York subway system, for the first time in its history because of snow, can easily be viewed in retrospect like overkill. So does bringing in a car curfew, which banned non-emergency vehicles from the streets from 23:00 last night. | |
Walking the empty streets of Manhattan pre-dawn, and seeing the snow, we all found ourselves asking the same question: "Is that it?" | |
It reminded me of that scene from Crocodile Dundee, when Mick Dundee is confronted by muggers wielding a switchblade. "That's not a knife," he says, pulling out a much scarier weapon. "This is a knife." | |
That's not a storm, some New Yorkers told us, as they made their way to work muttering that Bill de Blasio had got it badly wrong. | |
New Yorkers ask 'Is that it?' | |
"My job as the leader is to make decisions and I will always err on the side of safety and caution." | |
Other areas of New York state saw much heavier snowfall, with a teenage boy killed in a sledging accident on Long lsland. | |
Worst affected elsewhere were Connecticut and Massachusetts, which saw 52cm (20.5in) and 67cm (26.2in) respectively, compared to the 13cm (5.5in) seen in New York's Central Park. | |
Thousands of people are without power, mostly in Massachusetts. The state's only nuclear power station shut down after the blizzard interrupted its power flow. | |
But Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker said the snow had been "fluffier and lighter" than anticipated, meaning there were less power outages. | |
"The wind here is tremendous, it's difficult to see very far out the window," said Christie Craigheard in New Hampshire, another of the affected areas. | "The wind here is tremendous, it's difficult to see very far out the window," said Christie Craigheard in New Hampshire, another of the affected areas. |
The NWS is still warning of potentially life-threatening conditions along the New England coast, as the storm heads north into Canada. | |
Meteorologists expect the snow and strong winds to continue throughout Tuesday, before weakening overnight. | Meteorologists expect the snow and strong winds to continue throughout Tuesday, before weakening overnight. |
Air travel remains disrupted, with more than 5,000 flights cancelled, according to flightaware.com. | |
Schools across the region are expected to remain closed until Wednesday, with public transport expected to be back to normal in New York by then too. | |
Are you in the north-east USA? How are coping with the blizzard? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you in the north-east USA? How are coping with the blizzard? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number. | If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number. |
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