Severe Snow Storm Blankets Bronx

Hazardous road conditions greeted morning commuters on Broadway at 242nd Street (Photo by Yasmine Guerda)

Twelve to 18 inches of snow is expected to blanket the Bronx today. Schools are closed, subway and bus service is delayed, power is out in some neighborhoods, driving conditions are dangerous, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. postponed his first State of the Borough address.

Power outages have been occurring throughout the city, but according to Con Ed, the Bronx wasn’t severely affected. Seven houses have lost electricity service this morning; in Valentine Street, Terrace View Street, Fteley Avenue, 150th Street, Clay Avenue and Locust Avenue. Con Ed says power should be back to those homes in the next few hours.

For the second time this month, Mayor Bloomberg closed all public schools in New York City. According to the Bronx director’s office at the Department of Education, “all public high, middle and elementary schools are closed in the Bronx until further notice.”

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was scheduled to give his first State of the Borough speech at Evander Childs High School this morning, but his office says it “has been postponed due to the city’s decision to keep schools closed” and will be rescheduled “at a date to be determined.” CUNY and Fordham University also canceled all classes.

Many private schools also declared snow days including Aquinas High School, All Hallows High, which will remained closed until Monday, and Immaculate Conception, on Gun Hill Road, where officials said the school will be closed “hopefully only until Monday, but maybe longer if the storm makes it impossible to clear the paths by then.” For more information, visit your school’s Web site.

Train and bus service is running, but the MTA is implementing a “cold weather service plan” with delays expected on the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, E, Z, F, G, and N trains. F may be interrupted entirely and Bronx-bound 4 trains are running especially slow because of signal problems at the 167th Street and Fordham Road stations. According to the MTA Web site, “Buses across the region are experiencing snow related delays due to street conditions.”

Parking regulations are suspended and the city recommends that people leave their cars and use public transportation. Alternate side of the street parking will be back in effect over the weekend. No bridges or tunnels leading to the Bronx are closed, but traffic conditions on Kings Bridge are classified “red” by the Department of Transportation. According to the 50th Precinct of the Police Department, traffic is normal today on and around Gouverneur Avenue, but several streets were blocked Thursday afternoon after an oak tree on Van Cortlandt Park South, fell across the road and smashed two cars.

Some services are on schedule in spite of the snow. Mail is being delivered as usual in the borough and all Bronx courts are open today.

The National Weather Service says “an intense storm will drift across the tri-state area through tonight.” They have issued a “major winter storm warning” for all five boroughs and Westchester County that will remain in effect until 6 a.m. on Saturday.