No white, no green: Snowless I-95 corridor leaves plow drivers wondering about next paycheck
New York City has been snowless since March 9, 2022. At 316 days, this is the 4th-longest snowless streak the city has ever seen. New York’s record for consecutive snowless days is 322, also set in 1973.
First snow watch: Which I-95 city will break snowless streak first?
Cities along the I-95 corridor are still waiting for their first measurable snow. FOX Weather's Craig Herrera and Jane Minar give their takes.
NEW YORK – When it rains, it pours. When it snows, it pays the bills.
Brandon Shoman joins thousands of independent snow plow operators across the Interstate 95 corridor eagerly anticipating their first measurable snow of the season. Snowfall needs to accumulate to at least 0.1 inches to be considered measurable. A day that reported flurries is not considered measurable snow.
"It's been rough," said Shoman, owner of Shoman Facility Maintenance which services the Long Island, New York area.
MAJOR CITIES ALONG I-95 CORRIDOR THREATEN SNOWLESS STREAK RECORDS AMID LONG WAIT FOR FIRST SNOW
As the country marches into the heart of winter, New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and other cities along I-95 are still awaiting their first measurable snowfall. (Patrick Whittemore/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald / Getty Images)
Most seasonal business owners, like Shoman in his profession, rely on snow for revenue.
"We have a lot of equipment, materials, expenses and insurances that are tied up," he said. "So we rely on snow to cover those expenses."
Shoman said he has seasonal commercial snow contracts that pay a flat rate for the winter, regardless of how much snow comes down.
"But even those clients are giving us some issues with payments because it hasn't snowed at all," he said.
‘Praying that we get some snow’
New York City has been snowless since March 9, 2022. At 316 days, this is the 4th-longest snowless streak the city has ever seen. New York’s record for consecutive snowless days is 322, also set in 1973.
NEW YORK CITY HAS LACKED SNOW SO FAR THIS WINTER, BUT LATE-SEASON STORMS CAN CRIPPLE THE BIG APPLE
New York City is currently in the midst of its fourth-longest snowless streak. (FOX Weather)
"We are just praying that we get some snow down here to turn some profits for the company," Shoman said.
New York typically sees its first measurable snowfall by Dec. 11. The latest New York City has ever received its first snowfall was Jan. 29, 1973.
Shoman services nearly 60 parking lots from Brooklyn to Southampton across the island. Yet until snow covers those lots with more than 1 inch of snow, all he can do is wait and maintenance his vehicles, so everything is on point when the time comes to run the routes.
The FOX Forecast Center said a storm system will move into the Northeast beginning Sunday afternoon and lasting into midday Monday, bringing potentially heavy snow to the interior Northeast and northern New England.
WHERE IS THE SNOW? US APPROACHES MIDPOINT OF METEOROLOGICAL WINTER
Where is the snow?
Many along the I-95 corridor are still awaiting their first measurable snow.
While this might help pay the bills for some, those like Shoman should expect all rain along the largely snow-free I-95 corridor of the Northeast, though wet roads could still cause some problems for Monday morning commuters.
Snow will continue Monday from the eastern Great Lakes through central Pennsylvania, upstate New York and northern New England, with snow ending from west to east during the afternoon and evening.
The potential for the heaviest snowfall rates and significant snow totals exists from central Pennsylvania through upstate New York and into northern New England.
The long-range forecast suggests an overall mild winter will continue in the Northeast and New England.