Blizzard spares New York, New England buried in snow

A blizzard initially billed as possibly one of the worst ever in New York left only moderate snow in the Big Apple -- and officials and forecasters red-faced -- as New England bore the brunt of the storm today.
Travel bans were lifted and limited public transport resumed in New York, where officials were forced to launch a vigorous defense of the measures put in place as Winter Storm Juno moved in yesterday.
But the National Weather Service warned of life-threatening conditions along the coast from Long Island into Connecticut and Massachusetts, with more than two feet (60 centimeters) in some areas.

"You plan the best you can and you lean toward safety," New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo told a news conference under a barrage of questioning.
He conceded there were likely to be "some" loss of business, but said he had no estimates.
"It may actually have brought us back to full operating capacity sooner but I do not criticize weather forecasters. I learn," Cuomo said.

Shops were closed and few people were on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn today.
A handful of home owners shovelled snow from doorsteps in the freezing wind as snowflakes continued to fall thick and fast.

Yesterday, Broadway went dark, major concert halls canceled events, and NBA games were postponed as dire forecasts led officials to brace for the worst.
In the end, snowfall varied throughout the New York area, with some parts of the city receiving as little as four inches -- far short of the city's record 26.9 inches in February 2006.
Long Island was however still being hard hit with up to 20 inches of snow, and easternmost Suffolk County continues to see blizzard-like conditions and face "serious issues," Cuomo said.
County police confirmed that a teenage boy died late yesterday in a sledding accident.