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Manhattan Blanketed with Another Round of Snow

By DNAinfo Staff on January 21, 2011 7:29am  | Updated on January 21, 2011 12:11pm

By Olivia Scheck

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN — Another round of snow greeted morning commuters as they slogged to work through the wintry mess Friday.

More than 4 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park as of 7 a.m., with an additional half inch expected before the storm finished up, according to the National Weather Service.

"If it keeps up like this,  I might quit the gym," Inwood resident Roland Asortes, 51, said as he shoveled his car out from the snow.

The snow started falling in the early morning hours and began to taper off by 7 a.m. in Manhattan, the NWS reported.

The Great White Way looked more like the Slush White Way Friday morning as commuters started their day.

Brooklyn's Derrick Davis, 44, breaks up packed snow in Times Square on Jan. 21
Brooklyn's Derrick Davis, 44, breaks up packed snow in Times Square on Jan. 21
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

"It's rough," said FedEx worker Orlando Blunte, 30, as he pushed a cart stacked high with boxes through a slushy Times Square. "It's hard getting around with all the snow and ice on the ground."

The NWS issued a winter weather advisory for the morning snowstorm and warned drivers of slippery road conditions. The advisory expired at 10 a.m. as conditions improved but meteorologists warned that roads and sidewalks could continue to be slick.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave the clean-up high marks. "The bottom line is 'good job,' schools are open today," he said.

He also reminded building owners that they have an obligation to clean the snow off the sidewalks in front of their properties and warned the job will only get harder as the temperature drops and the slush freezes.

The MTA also issued an advisory, telling straphangers to expect delays on trains and buses and canceling planned service changes until Friday afternoon. But very few delays were reported due to the snow. Metro-North and Long Island Railroad were running on a normal schedule, but the MTA asked riders to allow for extra travel time.

Alternate side parking regulations were suspended in the city which was little consolation to drivers who had a hard time on snowy streets.

"If it was this bad getting in, I don't know what I will do when I have to get out. I'm on ice, I can feel it," said Maria Guzman, 29, as her car slid on snow at the corner of Park Terrace West and Isham Street in Inwood.

"The roadways are in good shape," Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty said on WOR's John Gambling Show Friday morning.

1,700 plows were out Thursday night plowing the streets and workers are now out salting secondary and tertiary streets, he said.

The storm will be followed by bitterly cold winds beginning Friday afternoon, with gusts topping 40 miles-per-hour, according to forcasters.

Snow-capped café chairs and tables in front of Alto, the high-end restaurant with two Michelin stars on E. 53rd Street, Jan. 21.
Snow-capped café chairs and tables in front of Alto, the high-end restaurant with two Michelin stars on E. 53rd Street, Jan. 21.
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DNAinfo/Amy Zimmer

Temperatures will remain in the low-30's throughout the day, but will begin to fall as night sets in.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be frigid with temperatures struggling to reach the mid-20s and overnight temps falling into the single digits, according to AccuWeather.