New York:

New Yorkers woke up Tuesday to something they’ve barely seen this winter: snow.

The National Weather Service (NWS) measured 1.8 inches (4.6 centimeters) of snowfall in Central Park, the first time more than an inch had been recorded there all season.

New York usually gets a white blanket at least a few times a winter. But unusually mild temperatures have resulted in a largely snow-free season this year.

The flakes, which began Monday night, brought the season total in Manhattan’s famed green lung to just 2.2 inches.

However, it didn’t stick around for long. By mid-morning most of the snow had already turned to slush when the rain took over.

Several school districts closed on Tuesday as the city geared up for its first substantial snowfall of the season.

The New York City government’s emergency management agency has also issued a travel advisory from 6 p.m. (11 p.m. GMT) Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday.

New York tends to get its first serious snowfall around mid-December. Last season it arrived on Christmas Eve.

This year, it didn’t arrive until Feb. 1, when nearly an inch was recorded in Central Park. It was the last first snowfall since records began in 1869.

Meteorologists define snowfall in NYC as snow that measures at least 0.1 inch in the park.

Although heavy precipitation has brought a lot of rain to New York City and the surrounding Atlantic coastal areas this winter, deadly blizzard conditions have occurred a few hundred miles to the north.

In December in Buffalo, New York state, near the Canadian border, at least 39 people were killed when up to 1 meter of snow fell.

New York City has never had a very cold season without measurable snow.

Scientists say climate change is causing winters to get warmer and shorter.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)