How ‘Snowzilla’ shut down New York City

TENS of thousands stranded, over 400 car crashes and 19 deaths nationwide. Here’s how “Snowzilla” turned the city that never sleeps into a ghost town.

An view of ‘Snowzilla’ from space. This image was taken from the International Space Station and shows the massive storm passing over the US. Picture: Scott Kelly/NASA

THE travel ban might have lifted and the clean-up operation is in full swing but New York City is still blanketed in a thick layer of snow and New Yorkers face hours of digging if they’re going to make it to work on Monday.

As millions of residents begin to recover from the near record blizzard, dubbed “Snowzilla”, the effect of more than 90cm of snow being dumped on the Big Apple was nothing short of incredible, and we have the pictures to prove it.

Here’s how Winter Storm Jonas caused the city that never sleeps to hit the snooze button.

● All travel was shut down across the state. Police warned that anyone caught driving in the street would be subject to arrest.

● At least 19 deaths have been reported nationwide as a result of the deadly blizzard along the US east coast.

● 400 car crashes were reported in NYC alone.

● Tens of thousands of tourists became stranded with more than 2000 flights in and out of airports cancelled.

● Several thousand metro area power outages were reported.

● The streets emptied in a matter of hours and the city of 8 million became eerily quiet after about 3pm. A ghost town, save for the sirens and snowblowers.

This is absolutely insane #blizzard2016 @ABC pic.twitter.com/3jCn9fuar6

— Bassem (@BBassem7) January 24, 2016

Didn’t get the memo. This guy left his shopping till the last minute. Picture: Jewel Samad

● Grand Central Terminal cleared out, leaving just a scattering of pedestrians on the hunt for an open coffee joint. There weren’t any.

The odd commuter passed through Grand Central Terminal during the blizzard.

● The few residents who braved the slippery streets abandoned the sidewalk and tramped along the deserted avenues instead.

Anyone without a pair of waterproof boots could forget venturing beyond their doorstep.

● Some treated it like the apocalypse was coming and tore through the supermarket buying everything in sight.

Where's the beef? Not at this grocery store. Preparing for the Blizzard of 2016. pic.twitter.com/7xr7YUABKI

— Darci Marchese (@DMarcheseWTOP) January 22, 2016

My nail salon is next to grocery store. Note to self. Don't try & get a manicure when a blizzard is coming. ❄️💅🏼 pic.twitter.com/mOLfEj3Cgt

— Cindy Webster (@Cindy610) January 22, 2016

● All five of the city’s zoos closed their doors and tucked their animals up in bed.

● The lights went dark on Broadway and all shows were cancelled.

Super keen theatregoers lined up to buy half price Broadway show tickets. Picture: Nathan Edwards

● Bruce Springsteen was forced to postpone his Madison Square Garden show.

● The New York Islanders ice hockey team postponed its game at Barclays Center.

● The NBA delayed Sunday’s game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

● Cafes and restaurants closed their doors, as did shopping malls and stores, in an attempt to get their employees home safely.

Some cafes remained open, but it wasn’t exactly easy to find a way inside. Picture: Brendan Smialowski

But the blizzard couldn’t dampen everyone’s spirits.

● Bars and pubs which remained open drew hordes of partygoers, all settling in for a night on the booze. Can’t say we blame them.

O'Lunney's Times Square Pub, one of the only bars open in the area, drew a big crowd. Picture: Yana Paskova

● Ecstatic skiers and snowboarders pulled on their gear and hit the streets, as well as Central Park and the Williamsburg Bridge.

These guys found the best way to get through Central Park on Saturday. Picture: Astrid Riecken

● Tourists in town for the weekend couldn’t resist the sight of Times Square covered in snow and headed out to take selfies despite warnings to stay inside.

Even a blizzard couldn’t stop the selfies in Times Square. Picture: Nathan Edwards

● Even this policeman couldn’t resist the temptation to take a quick snap while on the job.

An on-duty cop stops to take a quick picture in Times Square. Picture: Nathan Edwards

● Some decided it was the perfect weather to take their pets for a walk.

This guy wasn’t about to let his dog miss out on all the fun. Picture: Spencer Platt

● There was this street performer, affectionately known as the Hardly Painted Lady, who lent a hand shovelling snow.

Today's cover: This desnuda braves NYC's historic storm to shovel Times Square https://t.co/LrnKlwUeZF pic.twitter.com/UPISOEav22

— New York Post (@nypost) January 24, 2016

● The Naked Cowboy wasn’t about to let the blizzard get in the way of business.

Naked cowboy is still in Times SQ #NYC #snow pic.twitter.com/jMnlTrdEAB

— Cal Perry (@calmsnbc) January 23, 2016

● And then there was this guy, who snowboarded through Times Square while the rest of the crowd decided to call it quits and head home to give their Nexflix accounts a workout.

Do you have a crazy photo from Winter Storm Jonas? Share with me on Twitter, @lottiewillis