SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Syracuse residents got a rude awakening on Friday, Feb. 3. Temperatures dropped from the mid-30s to the single digits during the day, gusts of wind brought the temperatures down even further and snow came down at a near constant rate.
The winter has been fairly warm by Syracuse standards, with temperatures staying in the 30s for most of January. Once Phil saw his shadow, the massive squall hit the CNY area to reinforce the folktale.
Public schools across Central New York closed down for the day, along with other public areas. Even doggie day care facilities weren’t running. The normally popular Clinton Square ice rink was completely deserted and other outdoor activities were avoided like the plague. The scheduled ceremony for Syracuse University’s men’s soccer team had to be postponed due to the extreme weather.
Syracuse is no stranger to cold spells, but this sudden drop in temperature was making pretty much all travel impossible. I was a victim to the cold, as after my efforts to de-ice my car, all efforts to start the engine failed. I had to wait for the temperature to rise after the weekend to give the battery the boost it needed.
Despite the cold, some people were brave enough to venture outdoors, staying bundled up as much as possible.
“Its actually crazy to me that people are coming out,” said Haylee McCauliffe, a sandwich artist at Original Grain. “Whenever it gets really cold out and really snowy, people come outside, I’m like, ‘oh my goodness, why.'”
Businesses like Original Grain got a bit of a boost from the bitter cold, since the icy roads and slippery sidewalks force people inside to heat up and grab a bite to eat.
“The ice and cold can do both, drive customers away and bring them in,” McCaullife said. “You see a lot of people come in here to get something hot to eat, something hot to drink.”
And though public schools were closed on Friday, Syracuse University classes were still in session. Students at SU had no choice but to get outside and bundle up, traveling from building to building trying to stay warm. After going to classes and getting used to the warmth, it was back to the elements.
Fortunately the frigid stretch only lasted two days, as the sun showed itself again on Sunday and temperatures rose back to the 40s. The projected forecast for next week does not have any more of these surprise storms in the foreseeable future, but it is always a good idea to prepare for temperature drops at any time.
