A Wintry Mix of Opinions On a Season's Missing Snow.

CORRECTION APPENDED Where is the snow? That is the question swirling -- unlike actual flurries -- across New York City and its suburbs, where sidewalks have been relentlessly gray and yards stubbornly green this winter. After a decade of higher-than-average snowfalls, including last year's snowiest January ever, nary a flake has fallen since the freak October storm. The lack of wintry precipitation comes as a relief to many -- no lost power, no snarled commutes, no lagoons of slush. The city, too, is saving on salt and overtime. But for others, the absence has upset the rhythms of the season, stealing the sense of giddiness and grace that accompanies a robust snow. And in what might be thought of as the snow-based sector of the economy -- hardware stores, ski shops, snow-plow services, even corner shoeshine stands -- the drought has been exceptionally bad for business. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]