Sloppy Stella brings New York City a weird day of snow, sleet and wind

New York City streets were fairly quiet and protester-free on Tuesday, as Stella brought pounding wind, sleet and enough snow — 7.2 inches in Central Park — to justify a day off of school.

The historic blizzard that meteorologists predicted would bring one to two feet of snow was downgraded early Tuesday morning as rain diminished snow totals and the worst of the storm trended northwest. Areas in the Bronx and Queens saw the most snow in the city, with just over 8 inches by early evening. About 14 inches were reported north of the city in Irvington.

Icy roadways were a main concern as temperatures dropped below freezing overnight.

A state of emergency remained in effect until midnight.Mayor Bill de Blasio announced at noon that school would resume Wednesday, but that parking regulations would remain suspended, adding that he discourages driving and urged people to avoid the slick sidewalks.

Wind speeds averaged 20 mph throughout the day with gusts reported at 35 and 50 mph. Above-ground Metro North service was partly restored at 6 p.m. through 11 p.m. and LIRR service was fully restored by 6 p.m.

The most exciting thing to happen in New York during the storm was perhaps the two miniature ponies that escaped a barn in Staten Island, which had witnesses questioning their own eyesight. “I just looked out the window to see how bad it was coming down still and I see two ponies. I thought I was imagining things!” Robert Stasio, 50, told the New York Post.