Los restos de la última gran tormenta de nieve de hace casi un mes aún se adhieren a las aceras de la Ciudad de Nueva York. Pequeños montones de nieve blanca ahora parecen montículos de carbón debido al barro, el hollín y otras acumulaciones.

Ahora, los neoyorquinos y el resto del área triestatal se preparan una vez más para otra gran tormenta de nieve que podría dejar hasta un pie de nieve en los 5 condados.

Con la posibilidad de que la tormenta del Nor’easter del domingo alcance la categoría de ventisca, es fácil preguntarse cuánto más podría caer este invierno.

Central Park recibió casi un pie de nieve debido a la tormenta que comenzó el 25 de enero. Es posible que esta cifra se repita al terminar la tormenta del domingo.

La mayor nevada total de los últimos años fue de 17.4pulgadas hace unos cinco años.

Y aunque la nieve no es algo nuevo en los cinco condados en febrero o marzo, hay que remontarse casi una década para encontrar la última nevada de abril en los cinco condados. Más de 5 pulgadas cayeron en Central Park durante esa tormenta, la mayor cantidad registrada en cualquier abril en la ciudad. Esa tormenta de 2018 formó parte de la mayor nevada de Nueva York en abril desde 1982, cuando cayeron más de 24 cm en Central Park.

Pero incluso si cayeran más nieve en la ciudad, no se compararía con las mayores nevadas registradas en la historia de Central Park, la mayor de las cuales dejó 27.5 pulgadas hace poco más de una década, en la ventisca de 2016. Las décimas tormentas más grandes, en 1935 y 1941, dejaron más de 18 pulgadas cada una en el parque. El último aviso de ventisca emitida para la Ciudad de Nueva York (y el condado de Suffolk, Long Island) fue en 2022.

Pero a pesar de los dolores de cabeza que trajo esta última tormenta de 2026, los últimos meses de 2025 fueron más que satisfactorios. La Ciudad de Nueva York suele ver su primera nevada medible el 7 de diciembre. La nevada más temprana registrada en Central Park cayó el 15 de octubre de 1876, dos semanas antes de Halloween.

Cai Guoqiang stages a fireworks display in the Himalayas of Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on September 20, 2025. Photo: from web

Internationally renowned Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang staged a fireworks display in the Himalayas of Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region on Friday evening, raising concerns about violating fundamental principles of ecological conservation. Although the organizers had noted in advance that the fireworks were eco-friendly and would be cleaned up afterward, the performance nevertheless sparked controversy. 

Many netizens criticized the event as absurd, questioning the decision to set off explosions in such an ecologically fragile region as the Himalayas. In response to the backlash, the brand behind the show has since deleted related videos online.

At dusk on Friday, Cai began the fireworks performance in Gyangze, an area located at an altitude of about 5,500 meters in the Himalayas. Footage from the site showed Cai igniting three sequences of fireworks along the mountain ridge through gunpowder blasts, creating a dynamic “rising dragon” scene, symbolizing the auspiciousness and vitality embodied in Eastern dragon culture.

Organizers of the event had stated beforehand that all fireworks used biodegradable, eco-friendly materials, herders’ livestock would be relocated and small animals guided away with salt bricks prior to the display, and that residue would be cleaned up and vegetation restored afterward to avoid ecological risks. 

Some netizens argued that the so-called eco-friendly materials were only “less polluting” compared with conventional products, but by no means zero-impact. Others pointed out that the plateau’s ecosystem is extremely fragile, “even a tire mark can take decades or centuries to heal, let alone such large-scale smoke and noise pollution,” according to media reports.

Critics also denounced the performance as an act of cultural arrogance, noting that local traditions include reverence for mountain deities and taboos against loud explosions.

Some further warned that the massive blasts could generate sound waves posing potential risks to glaciers already vulnerable due to climate change, possibly destabilizing ice masses, while also severely disturbing plateau wildlife, which violates basic principles of ecological protection.

In the wake of the mounting backlash, Cai and Arc’teryx, the brand that sponsored the fireworks show, have deleted related videos, though they are yet to issue an official response.

An official from the Ecology and Environment Bureau of a branch of the Gyangze County told media on Saturday that the event had been filed with the bureau and all procedures were compliant. “Since environmentally friendly materials were used for the fireworks, an environmental assessment was not required, and approval from township, village, and county-level governments was sufficient. The government had held multiple meetings in advance to study the site selection, assess what wildlife might be nearby, and eventually chose a location outside ecological protection zones with no residents in the vicinity. So far, there has been no observed damage to the local environment, and follow-up monitoring will continue,” the official said, bjnews.com reported.

An Arc’teryx customer service staff later on Saturday responded to media that the event was carried out under scientific assessment and strict guidance, noting that the artistic creation used environmentally friendly materials. The colored powders selected were biodegradable, and the emissions met environmental standards, according to Jimu News.

Responding to why the well-known outdoor brand chose Himalayas as the site for a fireworks display, the staff noteed that the brand’s original intention was “to pay tribute to nature, culture, and the environment.”

According to public records, Cai, born on December 8, 1957, in Quanzhou, East China’s Fujian Province, is a fireworks master and contemporary artist, and one of the most internationally renowned Chinese contemporary artists. He rose to fame with his gunpowder explosion works and has explored installation art, performance art and multimedia art. His representative works include Venice Rent Collection Courtyard, “Sky Ladder,” and the giant “footprints” shown at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

A rainout the previous day created a packed Saturday schedule at the Korea Open, with both the quarterfinals and semifinals being held just hours apart.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek handled the challenge with ease.

Seoul: Scores | Draws | Order of play

She opened against Barbora Krejcikova in what was expected to be a competitive quarterfinal. Instead, Swiatek dominated, blanking the former Grand Slam champion in the first set. After trading breaks early in the second, she broke for a 4-3 lead and closed out the match 6-0, 6-3 in 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Following a brief break, Swiatek returned to the court to face rising star Maya Joint in their first career meeting. Joint had upset No. 3 seed Clara Tauson in the quarterfinals earlier in the day, also by a score of 6-0, 6-3.

But the 19-year-old’s run ended in the semifinals. Swiatek, unfazed by the quick turnaround, delivered another commanding performance, winning 6-0, 6-2 in just over an hour to secure her spot in the final.

It was another case of Swiatek wasting no time in asserting control over her opponent, breaking at love in the opening game and needing just 25 minutes to bagel Joint in the first set.

Joint held serve to start the second set to finally get on the board, but Swiatek reeled off four straight games to go up a set and a double break. Joint showed further signs of life by converting a break point later in the set, but Swiatek won the final two games, closing out the match with a smash at the net.

Though she doesn’t know who she’ll face in Sunday’s final just yet, Swiatek is prepared for what lies ahead, taking confidence in the level she’s displayed so far this week.

“Let’s see who I play,” Swiatek said after the match. “But I’ll just focus on myself and on the goals that I had before and continue to do what I was doing throughout the tournament, because it’s been working.

“The final is supposed to be the toughest and it always produces a different kind of stress, so I’m just happy that I’ve already played solid matches here.”

It marks Swiatek’s fourth individual final of the season — all since June. She is 2-1 in finals this year, with titles at Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Open, and 24-5 overall in her career.

This will be her first Korea Open final.

Alexandrova defeats qualifiers Seidel, Siniakova to advance to Seoul final

Double duty proved more challenging for Ekaterina Alexandrova than it did for Swiatek, but the No. 2 seed took care of business, setting up a battle between the top two seeds in Sunday’s Korea Open final.

Alexandrova began her day with a 6-2, 6-3 quarterfinal win over German qualifier Ella Seidel in 1 hour and 14 minutes. While the scoreline suggests a routine victory, it was anything but. 

The contest featured nine breaks of serve, including six in the opening set. Alexandrova faced 11 break points — more than she generated against Seidel — but the difference lay in how many each saved. Alexandrova saved eight of the 11 break points she faced, while Seidel saved just four of 10.

If the World No. 11 expected her path to another final in Seoul was going to get any easier in her next match, she was mistaken.

Her semifinal opponent, Katerina Siniakova — another qualifier — had defeated Suzan Lamens in the quarterfinals earlier in the afternoon. Like Seidel, Siniakova had made a strong run through the main draw after advancing through qualifying but saw her tournament come to an end at the hands of Alexandrova.

After trading holds in the first five games, Alexandrova struck first, breaking for a 4-2 lead. Siniakova responded immediately with a break of her own but was undone by a double fault on set point which handed the first set to Alexandrova.

The Czech regrouped quickly, breaking to start the second set and jumping out to a 2-0 lead. But from there, the match followed a familiar pattern.

Alexandrova went 3-for-6 on break points, while Siniakova — who began to cramp late — failed to convert any of her four chances. Alexandrova won the final six games to wrap up a 6-4, 6-2 victory in 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Sunday’s final will be Alexandrova’s third of the season — all at the WTA 500 level. She won the title in Linz and was runner-up in Monterrey.

It also marks her second Korea Open final, having defeated Jelena Ostapenko for the title in 2022.

“I’m happy to be back in the final here in Seoul,” Alexandrova said after the match. “It would be such an amazing achievement to win here again but tomorrow will be a super difficult match. The final is always different, so I’ll just go on the court and try to do my best, and let’s see how it goes.”

Top seeds Swiatek, Alexandrova set for a final showdown

For the first time since 2022, the Korea Open final will feature the top two seeds, with Swiatek and Alexandrova set to square off.

The two are no strangers to each other, having met seven times in their careers, including three times this season. Swiatek leads the head-to-head 5-2 and has won both of their 2025 meetings, most recently in straight sets at the US Open. Alexandrova’s last win in the series came in Miami last year

Sunday will mark their first meeting in a WTA final.

Both players bring plenty of finals experience. Swiatek owns a robust 24-5 career record in championship matches, while Alexandrova is 5-5.

With Swiatek’s advancement, it marks the fourth straight year the top seed has reached the final in Seoul.