Stellaaah! What happened?

A business on Chambers St. was reluctantly closed on Tuesday morning. Photos by Milo Hess

Tuesday’s predicted dreaded snowpocalpyse turned out to be merely a fairly respectable snowstorm with strong winds. Winter Storm Stella veered to the west, hitting western New York much harder. Nevertheless — as is becoming increasingly common in a 24-hour media-saturated environment — the snowfall (which at times was more of an icy, wind-whipped rain) still managed to shut down the city, thanks to the mayor and governor’s dire warnings that people stay off the streets. As a result, in many parts of the city, stores were closed and the sidewalks and streets were empty. Aboveground subways were closed, while underground service kept running. At any rate, better safe than sorry, many would say. While a blizzard warning has been called off, a weather advisory remains in effect through 8 p.m., and a advisory for strong winds is in effect through 6 p.m. With the temperature set to fall overnight, the bigger concern now is the sidewalks and roadways icing up, which could make walking and driving treacherous.

More street scenes on Chambers St. on Tuesday morning, above and below.