Back To Almost Normal For NYC

Cuomo and De Blasio are making the rounds of local television this morning to defend last night's decision to close down the city. Via Gothamist:

Mayor de Blasio lifted the city-wide travel ban this morning after that devastating blizzard turned out to be just a bunch of stupid snow. There's about 7.8 inches in Central Park this morning—not the 24 inches or more that was expected—and current forecasts don't call for much more additional accumulation today. And there is certainly no reason to doubt those forecasts. The MTA is also resuming service system-wide this morning, but it's going to take hours for trains and buses to get back up to full speed. Staten Island Ferry service has resumed. Asked if officials overreacted to the storm, Cuomo reminded reporters of the huge snowstorm that crippled Buffalo in November—a storm that Cuomo said he underestimated. "You make big decision based on the best information you have," Cuomo said, adding, "I do not criticize weather forecasters."Cuomo also posited that taking the trains out of service and implementing a travel ban enabled the city to bounce back faster, because the roads were clear for plows to get through and trains weren't stranded. "If you tally it up, I don't know that this wasn't the most prudent course," Cuomo said.

Most people still have the day off, of course.