Nor'easter Dumps Snow Across Tri-State, Interrupts Sandy Recovery Efforts
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A nor'easter interrupted recovery efforts from Superstorm Sandy, leaving a blanket of thick, wet snow that snapped storm-weakened trees and downed power lines.
The nor'easter, as promised, brought gusting winds, rain and snow and plunged households that waited for days without power because of Sandy back into darkness in temperatures near freezing.
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The National Weather Service reported Thursday morning that the highest snowfall total from Wednesday's storm is in Armonk in Westchester County where nearly 8 inches of snow has fallen.
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Parts of the city received 4 to 7 inches of snow, with the highest totals in Queens and Staten Island. Snowfall totals in Suffolk, Nassau and Putnam counties range from 4 to nearly 7 inches.
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Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey appeared to receive the most snow. There were 13 inches measured in Freehold and a foot in Manchester Township. Accumulations were much lower at the coast.
"We didn't anticipate it, didn't like it, but it happened. It's a force of nature," Freehold resident Cathy Samaniego said.
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About a dozen schools in Westchester opened two hours late because of the storm. Several schools on Long Island are closed as well as some schools in New Jersey and Connecticut.
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Under ordinary circumstances, a storm of this sort wouldn't be a big deal. But large swaths of the landscape were still an open wound, with the electrical system highly fragile and many of Sandy's victims still mucking out their homes and cars and shivering in the deepening cold. As the storm picked up in intensity Wednesday evening, lights started flickering off again.
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Con Edison said the nor'easter knocked out power to another 55,000 customers in New York City and Westchester County. When the storm hit on Wednesday, Con Ed crews were still working to restore 67,000 customers from Sandy.
There were 60,000 new outages on Long Island, where more than 200,000 customers were without power.
In New Jersey, utilities reported 400,000 power outages early Thursday; 20,000 of those were new. There were also pockets of new outages reported in Connecticut.
At a press conference Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told New Yorkers he understands the frustration of those who remain without power.
"We are doing everything that we can possibly do and I know that doesn't give comfort but I just want people to know it's not for a lack of effort and we'll learn from this as we go forward," Cuomo said.
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In Great Neck, more than 1,000 people who lost power during Sandy finally got it back Wednesday, but lost it again when the nor'easter hit.
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Across Long Island, there were reports of fallen trees and downed power lines and with the temperatures dropping, residents once again found themselves Wednesday without heat and light.
"It just gets frustrating. It eats away at you," said Great Neck resident Joe Fazzolari. "Then finally you see the light at the end of the tunnel and the power's back and now we are starting over again."
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The storm was almost too much for others to bear.
"I cried all day and didn't do much and now I picked up," said Lauren Destephano. "Put my boots back on and started all over again."
In Destephano's Midland Beach neighborhood, there are still mounds of garbage. The city and private carters have picked up 130,000 tons of garbage and household debris. Some of it is piled in 20-foot mounds in a parking lot along the storm-ravaged beach.
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The nor'easter also caused some dangerous road conditions throughout the Tri-State area overnight.
In Westchester, a pizza deliveryman had to be rescued after running off the road into a snow bank just outside Sleepy Hollow.
In Connecticut, the snow is being blamed for two traffic fatalities and State Police say more troopers are being called in to help disabled motorists.
WATCH: CBS2's John Elliott With Midday Forecast
Area Snowfall Total Highlights
NEW JERSEY:
Ridgefield - 7.5
Paramus - 4.0
Newark Airport - 6.2
Jersey City - 6.0
Elizabeth - 5.4
Wanaque - 1.5
Toms River - 4.0
Atlantic City Airport - 2.5
East Brunswick - 4.5
Freehold - 13.0
Boonton - 3.0
Vernon - 3.0
NEW YORK:
Bronx - 2.5
Sheepshead Bay - 3.5
North Valley Stream - 8.0
Central Park - 4.7
Warwick - 4.7
Mahopac - 6.5
Bayside - 7.8
Great Kills - 6.4
West Nyack - 1.0
Port Jefferson - 5.0
Bronxville - 9.5
Armonk - 7.6
CONNECTICUT:
Monroe - 11.5
Bridgeport - 8.0
Stamford - 5.3
New Haven - 9.0
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