Snow Storm Weather Forecast: Historic blizzard slams US northeast as NYC bans travel
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency as a historic nor'easter began lashing the US northeast, a snow storm weather forecast that has placed tens of millions under warnings and prompted a full travel ban in the city. Officials and forecasters say the system will bring heavy snow, fierce winds and coastal flooding from Sunday evening into Monday.
Zohran Mamdani declares citywide travel ban and cancels schools
Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered a citywide ban on all non-essential travel, allowing only emergency and essential movements, and declared a state of emergency for New York City. The ban runs from 9pm on Sunday to noon on Monday (listed also as 2100 local time to 1200 local time), and Mamdani said all streets, highways and bridges would be closed to traffic except for emergencies. He announced that public schools would observe a full "snow day" on Monday: "No online school, no remote learning, full classic snow day. "
Mamdani warned the most severe snowfall was expected overnight and said some areas could see up to 28 inches. He noted this is the second major snowstorm of his first-time mayoral administration, following a three-week cold snap in January during which 19 people died.
Snow Storm Weather Forecast: National Weather Service warnings and expected totals
The National Weather Service has warned the storm could dump 2–3 inches of snow per hour at times, with widespread totals of 1 to 2 feet possible and isolated amounts higher. Much of the northeast and the Canadian Maritimes are expected to be affected from Sunday evening into Monday. The metro New York area was specifically forecast to receive 18–24 inches, with temperatures dropping to about 20°F (−6°C).
The service described blizzard and near-blizzard conditions that will make travel "nearly impossible" and "extremely treacherous" in parts of the region, and warned that strong winds and the weight of snow on tree limbs may down power lines and cause sporadic outages.
Wider scope: warnings, emergency declarations and regional impacts
The storm has placed an estimated 59 million people under weather warnings. Roughly 40 million people are covered by blizzard warnings and another 19 million are under winter storm warnings, stretching from the Central Appalachians to coastal Maine. States of emergency have been declared in multiple states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Forecasters said this could be the most powerful nor'easter across this populated region in nearly a decade.
Officials cautioned that the storm surge—projected at 2 to 4 feet in places—could cause moderate coastal flooding and beach erosion from Delaware Bay to Cape Cod, a stretch of coastline of almost 400 miles during high tide cycles.
Power outages, flight cancellations and coastal wind gusts
Power outages are already mounting: more than 20, 000 people were without electricity in New Jersey, and thousands more were reported without power in Virginia, Delaware and Maryland. Flight disruptions have been severe; one flight-tracking count showed about 3, 900 US flights cancelled on Sunday with hundreds more delayed, while another tracking figure put cancellations at more than 6, 000 through Monday. Major airport hubs expected to be hardest hit include JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia and Boston Logan.
Coastal wind gusts are expected to reach 65 to 70 mph in some areas, with separate forecasts noting gusts up to 70 mph, raising the likelihood of downed tree limbs and additional outages along the shore.
City preparations: equipment, crews and outreach for vulnerable residents
New York the city has brought in additional snow‑clearing equipment from outside and will expand geocoding efforts to track bus stops, crosswalks, pedestrian ramps and unsheltered bus stops that need clearing. City crews and recruited shovellers were scheduled to begin work on Sunday night to get an early start on the first wave of snowfall.
Outreach workers have been assisting unhoused New Yorkers into shelters and warming centers. Mayor Mamdani said the state of emergency declaration also releases extra funding to respond to the major weather event, and statewide measures include the activation of about 100 members of the National Guard by the governor.
Public warnings and local voices
Forecasters cautioned that whiteout conditions could make travel life‑threatening. Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center, noted it has been several years since a storm of this magnitude struck such a large and densely populated area.
Snow began falling Sunday evening in cities including Boston, Philadelphia and New York. Residents were urged to stay indoors until the storm passes; Mamdani emphasized that "staying home means you are staying safe" in a Sunday morning interview. In Brooklyn, resident Brandon Smith said workplaces remained open despite suspended roads, warning that many people would nonetheless be expected to report to work even as travel was restricted.
