A fierce Nor’easter was expected to pound New York City with up to two feet of snow on Tuesday. But when students woke up in the morning, a different scene caught their eye: a few inches of snow, and a lot of sleet.
Winter storm Stella prompted a blizzard warning to be put into effect for NYC three days prior to the storm making landfall. But while the National Weather Service was predicting significant snow, wind and cold for the five boroughs, the blizzard warning was called off by 8 a.m. Tuesday and a winter weather advisory was put into effect.
Paths on campus were cleared as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.
As of 3 p.m., the highest snow total in Queens was 7.8 inches in Queens Village, according to the National Weather Service.
In Queens, the storm was far weaker than expected. But people in Connecticut, New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley—only about an hour and a half drive from SJU—were experiencing the brunt of the blizzard that seemed to mostly bypass the city, according to the Queens Chronicle.
Weather predictions prompted officials at St. John’s on Monday afternoon to cancel Tuesday classes. Above ground MTA train service was halted, and a state of emergency was declared at midnight in NYC. Metro North railroad service also stopped running at noon.
As of 4:05 p.m. Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that above-ground MTA service would resume at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Limited Metro North service will also resume at 6 p.m., NBC New York reported.
Tuesday was the second snow day of the school year for St. John’s students. All campuses will be open on Wednesday, March 15, according to a Public Safety email.
