First Alert Weather: How much snow did NY, NJ and CT get, and how long will the slushy mess last

The snow switched over to sleet mid-morning in Westchester County, quickly melting away whatever accumulated. It was pretty to look at, but a lot of people said they hope the first storm of the season remains the only storm of the season. 

Trees cloaked in a stunning white reminded us of the beauty of winter. It was a dazzling sight, but one many woke up saying they could have done without.  

"I like to watch it fall. I like to look at it through the window, through the warmth of the living room," one White Plains resident told CBS2's Christina Fan. 

"I hope this is the first and last," another man added.

Families and municipalities dusted off their snow blowers for the first time in a long time to clean up the wintry mix that first began falling Monday evening. 

Up to 6 inches accumulated across Westchester County, making for treacherous conditions at times. But as night turned to day, plows began to gain the upper hand, as did neighbors with their shovels. 

"The main roads are OK. Just have to take it slow, it could be slippery," White Plains resident John Steinrock said. 

"I'm doing 10 minutes on, 10 minutes in, 10 minutes on, 10 minutes in," resident PJ Devaney said of his shoveling. 

It was hard to find anyone who actually enjoyed the winter wonderland. Even the children of White Plains, who found out late in the morning their two-hour delay officially became a snow day, weren't impressed. But they made the best of it with some backyard sledding. 

"How do you guys feel about it?" Fan asked. 

"Kind of bad," Emmy Ngai replied. 

"Why kind of bad?" Fan asked. 

"Because I like school," Ngai replied. 

The only ones who appeared to appreciate the beauty were the pups, who looked "snow" cute in their winter sweaters. 

"She loves smelling everything that's under the snow. Pawing at it, jumping around, prancing through it, she does all of that," one dog owner said. 

Authorities remind people to take their time shoveling, because the snow will be wet and heavy.

The cleanup is underway in in the Garden State.

The snowstorm is no more, but it left behind breathtaking visuals, including an Evergreen tree shrouded in winter's blanket in Bergen County.

A plow scraped the blacktop trying to rid a parking lot of snow in Midland Park.

A snow blower's strength got tested in Haskell, tossing brown slop off the sidewalk. Across the street, three shovels made for lighter work, clearing side-by-side family driveways.

"A little at a time is all you can do. We have a snow blower, but this is our exercise," resident Sonia Torres said.

Joshua Donna cleared a path for his mom to get work. He, too, had the day off.

"It was great news. I didn't have to go to school," the 16-year-old said, adding when asked what he planned to do, "I'll probably going skiing with my friend."

A sweet family of four, with sleds in tow, headed to the local hot spot. Citizen's Park in Ridgewood was packed with kids. CBS2's Vanessa Murdock witnessed thumb's up and wipeouts. There was fun for hours to be had in the season's first sled-able snow in Bergen County.

"I really like sledding," 6-year-old Clare said.

"My favorite part about sledding is probably just going really fast," 11-year-old Reilly said.

When asked what the best part of a snow day is, 6-year-old Emelie said, "It's fun and you get to play in the snow."

And down the hill they went.

New York City escaped the worst of the storm, dealing with only a slight drizzle by noon Tuesday.

As CBS2's John Dias reported, it was a letdown for those looking to see a large amount of snow.

Mother Nature dumped the most the city has seen this season, but there wasn't much accumulation. 

"I was over it, thought we were into spring," one person told Dias. 

In true New York fashion, even the lack of snow drew mixed reactions and opinions. 

"I was very disappointed. This is a poor showing of snow," Elyse Rivera said. "Love snow." 

"It's a little slushy, but I guess next year there's always a chance for something better," said Fort Greene resident David Niezelski.

The light dusting and messy mix weren't enough to cancel city schools, or even delay them. Fifth grader Justin Goodman said that's all right. 

"I guess I am fine with it, because if there was not school, we would just have remote school," he said.

For the first time this season, it was a busy morning for people behind the wheels of snowplows and salt spreaders. Every road needed to be treated. 

But the lack of snow so far this winter is a win for the city's budget, since it means saving money on supplies. 

"It does mean we're sitting on big a surplus of salt. We have about 700 million pounds of salt on hand in New York City, and we haven't used too much of it until last night. So I think what that means is we're not going to be buying as much salt as usual for next year," Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CBS2. 

Even though we only saw a small amount of snowfall, the city's Office of Emergency Management issued a travel advisory for the day. 

New York's Strongest say they've been out tackling the snow. 

"Our salt spreaders have been out all night and will continue to address streets and bike lanes today. Collection is ongoing; put material out according to your schedule. Please make sure sidewalks are clear of any slushy conditions. It's the law!" the Department wrote on Twitter. 

Tuesday morning's snow made for treacherous driving conditions, in places. Dashcam video captured a Tesla spinning out on the Taconic State Parkway near Yorktown. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries. 

Here's a look at the highest totals:

Samples from around the area: 

Chappaqua saw about five inches: 

Forecast: Leftover snow/rain showers exit N&E through this afternoon. Additional light accumulations are possible, but mainly across our northern/northeastern suburbs. Highs will be around 40. Skies clear up tonight with temps falling into the low 30s in the city and 20s across our suburbs. That said, refreezing is possible. As for tomorrow, it will be mostly to partly sunny and a little milder with perhaps a stray PM shower or two north. Expect highs in the 40s.

Looking Ahead: There's a chance of showers early Thursday, otherwise, expect some clearing with highs in the 50s. As for Friday, snow/rain overspreads the area with the potential for accumulating snow, especially N&W.

New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Chris Feinthel says all state roads are open after the storm. 

He said things are still wet and slippery, and drivers should take their time. 

New York City's Department of Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch says 2,000 workers salted the streets and sidewalks overnight. 

Most of the snow did not stick to surfaces, but things are slushy and slick.

New Jersey State Police responded to 162 crashes overnight and 171 drivers who spun out. 

Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan urged people to use caution and take their time on the roads Tuesday. 

CBS2's John Dias was on the Upper West Side early Tuesday morning, where the snow had turned over to rain. 

New York City schools are still open Tuesday, but alternate side parking has been suspended for snow removal.

Snow fell overnight before turning into a mix of sleet and rain. Plows were out in force across the five boroughs.

Anything that accumulated on cars or sidewalks isn't expected to stick around, with temperatures warming up and the rain clearing it away.

The city's Office of Emergency Management issued a travel advisory for Tuesday, and the Department of Sanitation issued a snow alert until 9 a.m.

CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reports from Ringwood in Passaic County, New Jersey. 

She found the roads were sloppy early Tuesday morning, but the plows were hard at work. Conditions were good on the main highways, but got progressively more sloppy heading north and west. 

Ringwood saw about 3 inches of accumulation, despite snow totals being subdued by the mixing with rain.

Many schools in the area were closed or had delayed openings. As Murdock reported, the snow will be great for sledding later on. 

A winter storm warning remains in effect for Passaic, as well as portions of Bergen and Sussex counties until 1 p.m., due to light snow on and off. 

CBS2's Christina Fan was in White Plains early Tuesday morning, where there were a few inches of accumulation. 

Flurries were steadily coming down, as plow trucks drove up and down Central Avenue. 

The roads were still very slushy on her drive up from the Major Deegan, particularly on the Sprain Brook Parkway. It was icy, challenging to navigate and hard to see the pavement or tire marks from the car ahead. 

This snow is wet and heavy, making it difficult to shovel. Whether you're commuting or cleaning up, take it easy and pace yourself. 

We're on Yellow Alert for the morning commute after last night's wintry mix left behind a slushy mess. 

CBS2's Elise Finch has your First Alert Weather forecast.

Winter's first blast could also be its, well, last gasp. It's a confusing time if your keeping score as most of us are dealing with a definite case of weather whiplash.

"We had 70-degree weather the other day. Now it's cold and snow. It has been all over the place," said Ashley Mudge of Hoboken.

This winter, the salt depot in New York City has been the loneliest place in town, until now.

The mild winter means the salt is overflowing and the Department of Sanitation had the luxury of pre-treating the streets, and if and when the snow hits 2 inches, the plows hit the roads.

A wet, heavy snow was coming down on Monday night, posing challenges on many levels.

"I'm warm. I'm just walking," said Unyge Green of Mott Haven, adding when told he needs a wiper for his glasses, "Always a problem, yes."

If your taking mass transit on Tuesday morning, the MTA says buses will have chains on the tires, some subway trains in yards might be moved inside, and the two commuter lines Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road will be working their de-icing systems.

CBS2 trekked up to Westchester County on Monday night to see what the early stages of the storm had in store for Dobbs Ferry.

The forecast for that particular area is calling for up to 6 inches of snow. It started falling a little after 7 p.m., and accumulation started on cold surfaces.

"We haven't seen snow for a while, so it's good to see some snow," said Alex Mulosmani of Dobbs Ferry.

Along Broadway, crews were out earlier in the day salting the roads and the sidewalks. The people in charge of fighting the storm said in some ways it's the perfect winter weather situation. It has been so dry, we've actually had some February wildfire situations, so any precipitation will help.

The storm is expected to start winding down by the Tuesday morning rush.

"We had enough warning on this storm,. People should be home in their beds. We should have very few vehicles out there. In the morning, hopefully, we get the road crews out there start cleaning up before people start moving around," said Brendan Casey, commissioner of Orange County Emergency Services.

Casey pointed out this storm is bringing a heavy, wet snow, so he offered a warning for those who will soon be shoveling it.

"Take smaller shovelfuls. Take breaks. Make sure that you're not overtaxing yourself when you're out there," Casey said.

Westchester County has more than 40 school districts and they are all watching the weather closely. New Rochelle, Ossining, and Yorktown schools were among those to already announce closings for Tuesday.

White Plains is currently on a two-hour delay, but the superintendent told CBS2 he'll hold a 5 a.m. conference call before making a final decision about whether or not to open.

CBS2's Lonnie Quinn has a look at which parts of the Tri-State Area will get the most snow and the timeline heading into Tuesday.

CBS2's Lonnie Quinn has the latest on the storm, including projected snow totals for New York City and the surrounding suburbs.

CBS2's Lonnie Quinn has the latest on the storm, including projected snow totals for the Tri-State Area.

Plows at the Bergen County Annex were loaded up and ready to go Monday. 

"We're actually people home right now so that they'll get their eight hours rest," said County Executive Jim Tedesco. 

Monday afternoon, Tedesco said crews would return when snow starts to fall and tackle the roads overnight to ensure safe passage, especially during the Tuesday morning rush. 

Driver have to do their parts too. 

Click here to read the full story.

CBS2's John Elliott has your First Alert Weather forecast at Noon, before the storm moves in Monday.

CBS2 will start our live coverage at 4 a.m. Tuesday to help you navigate the morning commute. 

Join us on CBS2 and CBS News New York.

Monday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Precipitation moves into the region, mainly as snow. Some mixing with rain may occur initially.

Monday 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. As cold air moves in, any rain changes to snow for most, while the rain/snow line moves to the border of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The snow during this timeframe could be heavy at times, with snowfall rates up to an inch per hour. Winds will also ramp up, especially along the coast, with gusts up to 40 mph.

Monday 11 p.m. to Tuesday 2 a.m. The rain/snow line shifts further north again, now along the south shore of Long Island across to central Jersey. Moderate snowfall is ongoing to the north of the line.

Tuesday 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. With the rain/snow line not really moving, a burst of heavier snow moves into the lower Hudson Valley and northern New Jersey.

Tuesday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Rain/snow line moves north of the city, and precipitation starts to become lighter overall. Northwest New Jersey and Hudson Valley will continue to see bursts of light to moderate snow.

Tuesday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Storm winds down, and skies begin to clear.

Totals: The highest totals are likely to be found across northern New Jersey and the Hudson Valley, where some areas may see totals in excess of 6". The city and surrounding locales should see a general 1-3", with isolated higher totals, depending on how much rain is able to mix in, while areas south of the city and along the immediate coast, may only see an inch or less. 

Due to the lack of snow so far this winter, this storm may prove more impactful than usual, simply because people just aren't used to it. It is also very likely that many schools will be closed on Tuesday. Our weather team will be tracking the storm carefully and will provide updates throughout the event.

Our Winter Storm Survival Guide has information about how to protect yourself, your pets and your property in the event of a storm. 

CLICK HERE for everything from travel delays to power outages and more.

CLICK HERE to see the very latest track of the storm.