By Karine DURAND, editor
Posted 12/19/19, updated 12/19/19 6:08 p.m.-
–
This Wednesday, December 18, the city of New York was engulfed by what looks like a cloudy wall: it was in fact a very sudden shower of snow that reduced visibility to nothing for a few minutes.
The city of New York has already been affected by snow in recent months, but the heavy downpour that occurred on Monday between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. was different. The American weather services had issued for the 1st time a special “Snow Squall” alert: it is about a strong gust, or sleet, which lasts from a few minutes to an hour maximum, accompanied by strong wind and snow, and reducing visibility to almost zero. This type of shower has often caused significant pilings on the roads in the past, hence the triggering of this new type of alert by the official services of the state.
An impressive phenomenon, but a very small amount of snow
This strong sleet of snow finally lasted 10 to 15 minutes over the city, giving the impression of a cloudy wall filmed by the webcams of the highest buildings in Manhattan. New York was plunged into a small snowstorm in a very short-lived fashion, before the sun then returned. In the end, it is therefore the sudden lack of visibility that is dangerous in this situation, more than the quantity of snow which was very limited yesterday: barely 1 to 2 cm.
This thin layer still held, because New York is currently in cold air, with -6 to -8 ° C in the morning until Sunday. The warmth will then be marked next week, with seasonal temperatures, barely positive.
–
