One hundred and seven years ago, the Hudson River from Nyack to Tarrytown NeW York experienced one of its coldest winters ever. December 1917 was already cold with a months temperature at zero degrees. By New Years Eve, the temperature had fallen to minus 16 degrees in what weather people of the day called an “anti-cyclone.” Which different than the “bomb - cyclone” or “polar vortex”. The Hudson River had frozen to the depth of 12 inches. Only ferries crossed the river at the time but it did not stop people from walking, riding in horse drawn sleds, and cars could zip across the solid surface of the frozen river from Nyack to Tarrytown.
In a world without a "White Christmas" in New York City for ten years. On the coldest day of 2024 during one of winter's "polar bombs" I had some say to me "see the world heals itself".
These photographs were taken in February of 2020. It was a cold winter were the river froze enough to chase the Bald Eagle down the river to where they could fish..
Today the Hudson river rarely freezes for fifty miles or more from NYC due to the brackish mix of sea water with fresh. The high tide can be seen pushing the water backwards as far as 30 miles from NYC to Permont Peir in Peirmont N.Y.
These pieces of pancake ice are possibly due the icebreakers up river even past Albany. They keeping shipping lanes open for commerce. Sometimes Bald Eagles will ride on these chunks of ice!
