De Blasio Takes Heat For Giving NYC Kids Slush Day

NEW YORK — The kids are likely still on his side. Mayor Bill de Blasio defended closing New York City's public schools on Monday after what was supposed to be a hellish snowstorm left only underwhelming piles of slush.

Only five inches of snow had blanketed Central Park and many parts of the city had seen fewer than three inches as of late Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service. That's much less than the 10 inches that de Blasio warned could strike the city when he announced his rare decision to close schools on Sunday night.

But de Blasio insisted safety is always the top factor in deciding whether to close school. Projections on Sunday indicated the storm would bring "very intense accumulation" around the time school buses would be on the road, he said.

"If it looks like everything is coming together at exactly the wrong time — icy conditions, intense snowfall — that’s when we get worried, and this one looked like that could exactly happen," the Democratic mayor said Monday at an unrelated news conference.

But many New Yorkers found sunshine and clear roads on Monday instead of massive curbside snowdrifts. Some called the decision to shutter schools "ridiculous" and "just plain silly." Former MTA chairman and mayoral candidate Joe Lhota tweeted a photo of estimated snow totals and asked, "Why exactly did we close public schools?"

Others argued de Blasio should have waited longer to get a clearer picture of the storm's impact before making the call.

"When you close the schools, most alternative childcare closes," Justine Manzano of The Bronx said on Twitter. "If you don’t have relatives who don’t work, you’re screwed."

The storm brought less snow and more rain than the city expected, de Blasio said. That's because the temperature didn't get too cold — though at least 8 inches could have fallen if the mercury had dipped just a little lower, according to NY1 meteorologist Erick Adame.

The city consulted a range of experts including the National Weather Service about the storm and got consistent reports across the board, de Blasio said. The decision about whether to shutter schools may have come later if that wasn't the case, he said.

"If we think we’re seeing a clear picture, then it’s important to let our parents know as quickly as possible," de Blasio said. "I was a public school parent, and I’ll tell you parents need that information the first available option."

Several people got behind the mayor on Twitter, saying he made the right decision to keep kids safe based on the information available at the time.

"To decide the night before gives parents the opportunity to make plans," Krystal D Scott tweeted. "It respects parents and caregivers. When the call comes in the morning parents are left scrambling."

De Blasio has taken a more cautious approach to severe weather since a surprise snowstorm in November crippled city streets and left many people — including some kids on school buses — trapped in traffic for hours.

It's necessary to tack several inches onto the National Weather Service's snowfall estimates "as a question of safety" when the city is eyeing a storm, the mayor said.

"We’ve learned the hard way that you got to assume the worst projection and then some, and you got to assume that it will come at the worst possible time," he said.