Snow Storm Weather Forecast: NYC bans travel as historic blizzard slams US north-east
New York City has declared a state of emergency and put a citywide travel ban in place as an historic blizzard moves across the US north-east, and the snow storm weather forecast warns of heavy accumulations, fierce winds and coastal flooding through Monday.
Snow Storm Weather Forecast: travel ban and state of emergency in NYC
Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered a full ban on non-essential travel across streets, highways and bridges from 21: 00 local time (9: 00 p. m. ET) on Sunday to 12: 00 local time (noon ET) on Monday, with the ban not applying to essential workers or emergencies. Mamdani declared a state of emergency and said public schools would have a full “snow day” on Monday, adding in a social media post: “No online school, no remote learning, full classic snow day. ” He also told News on Sunday morning that “staying home means you are staying safe. ”
Storm strength, snowfall rates and local totals
Forecasters warned the north-east could see heavy snowfall rates of about 2–3 inches (5–7 cm) per hour and total snowfall in many places of 1–2 feet (30–60 cm), with some areas forecast to receive more. As of midnight local time (05: 00 GMT) on Monday, certain locations had already recorded 10 inches (25 cm) of snow, including Manorville, New York, and Howell, New Jersey. New York City is under a blizzard warning for the first time in nine years, with forecasts calling for roughly 18–24 inches (50–60 cm) and temperatures falling to about 20F (-6C); city officials warned some spots could see as much as 28 inches (70 cm).
Flights, power outages and coastal surge warnings
Airlines canceled thousands of flights as hubs struggled with the storm: one flight tracker logged about 5, 500 cancellations on Sunday, while another monitor showed more than 6, 000 cancellations through Monday, with major airports including JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia and Boston Logan among the hardest hit. Power outages have affected more than 150, 000 people across north-eastern states so far, including 60, 000 in New Jersey; tens of thousands more were without power in Virginia, Delaware and Maryland tracker PowerOutage. us. Forecasters warned of storm surge of 2 to 4 feet that could cause moderate coastal flooding and beach erosion from Delaware Bay to Cape Cod during high tides.
Regional warnings, wind and the broader footprint
States of emergency were declared in multiple states, explicitly naming Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island. The National Weather Service placed large portions of the region under blizzard and winter storm warnings that cover areas from the Central Appalachians, from North Carolina to coastal Maine. Along the coast, the highest wind gusts were expected up to 65–70 mph, with officials warning that downed tree limbs and downed power lines could cause sporadic outages and dangerous conditions.
City preparations, outreach and residents’ reactions
New York City mobilized extra snow-clearing equipment brought in from outside the city and planned to expand the use of geocoding to track bus stops, crosswalks, pedestrian ramps and unsheltered bus stops that need clearing. City officials recruited people to shovel snow on foot, with some beginning work on Sunday night to get an early start. Outreach workers were assisting unhoused New Yorkers into shelters and warming centers. Brooklyn resident Brandon Smith said workplaces remained open even if roads were closed, calling the situation “difficult” for people expected to get to work.
Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center, said it had been several years since the region had seen a nor’easter of this magnitude across such a large, populated area. Forecasters said the system would affect much of the north-east and the maritimes provinces from Sunday evening into Monday, with snow beginning on Sunday evening in cities including Boston, Philadelphia and New York.
There are conflicting counts of how many people the warnings cover — one report put the number at 59 million while another said more than 35 million — and there are differing tallies of the cancelled flights; these discrepancies are noted in the available material. A fragment in the provided context ended with “A state of emergenc” — unclear in the provided context.
Next confirmed milestones: the city travel ban remains in force until 12: 00 local time (noon ET) on Monday, crews already scheduled to start clearing and shoveling Sunday night, and forecasters expect the storm to affect the region through Monday.
