I might not have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes, or experienced it with my own lack of preparation.
The east coast was hit with a freak snow blizzard Saturday morning, just 2 days shy of Halloween. Yes, I did say BEFORE Halloween. Nearly 3 inches accumulated in Manhattan’s Central Park, while as much as 12 inches fell in the outer-lying areas of Westchester, New Jersey’s mountainous suburbs and the Poconos. According to the National Weather Service, it was the very first October snowfall in New York history!
Having been away on an extended business trip, I happened to return to Manhattan for 1 day and just in time to witness the blinding winter wonderland. Driving across the George Washington Bridge provided only about 100 feet of visibility as cars inched along the slushy yet slippery roadway. I arrived near my home wearing a traditional fall outfit of sneakers and a lightweight jacket, but the 30 degree temperature and sheet of ice covering the sidewalk as I attempted to traipse up the hill toward my home quickly reminded me this was not going to be easy. Did I mention it was 2 days BEFORE Halloween??
Grabbing a pair of waterproof Timberland boots and a legitimate winter coat, I braved the elements and went back out into inclement weather. Not surprisingly, true New Yorkers were unfazed as they walked through Times Square and lower Manhattan decked out in their Halloween party costumes that were protectively covered with winter parkas. Hey, it was Saturday night and 2 days BEFORE Halloween. The party was still on!
Waking up Sunday morning to head back out of town provided few reminders of the freak winter storm, as the 45 degree temperatures had melted the snow into oblivion. The only signs of the previous day were downed tree branches (with beautiful fall colored leaves still attached) and several plants, squirrels and rats that, if they were human, were looking like they were saying “Wha Happened???”
Only 24 hours later, life in the Big Apple was back to normal and people began to blame the freakish storm on the effects of global warming. But no one will ever forget where they were when the great snow storm of 2011 hit only 2 days BEFORE Halloween!
