New York Weather: Powerful winter storm slams US north-east as Mamdani orders travel ban
new york weather has turned dangerous as an historic winter storm began lashing the US north-east, prompting New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani to declare a state of emergency and impose a citywide travel ban beginning Sunday night.
New York Weather: travel ban and state of emergency
Mamdani declared a state of emergency and announced a ban on all non-essential travel across streets, highways and bridges from 9: 00 p. m. on Sunday to 12: 00 p. m. on Monday; the restriction does not apply to essential workers or people traveling for emergencies. He said public schools would have a full "snow day" on Monday: "No online school, no remote learning, full classic snow day, " Mamdani wrote in a post on X. He also said the declaration releases extra funding to deal with the major weather event.
Snow rates, forecasts and warnings
Forecasters warned the nor'easter could be the most powerful in nearly a decade across much of the region, bringing heavy snow, fierce winds and coastal flooding from Sunday evening into Monday. The National Weather Service warned snowfall rates of roughly 2–3 inches (5–7cm) per hour during the peak and said many areas could receive 1–2 feet (30–60cm) of snow. New York City was under a blizzard warning for the first time in nine years, with forecasts of 18–24 inches (50–60cm) of snow and temperatures falling to about 20F (-6C); Mamdani said some areas could see as much as 28 inches (70cm).
Snow on the ground and winds along the coast
As of midnight local time (05: 00 GMT) on Monday much of the north-east had already been blanketed in several inches of snow, with 10 inches (25cm) reported in Manorville, New York, and Howell, New Jersey, the National Weather Service said. Coastal areas were forecast to face the highest gusts—up to 65–70 mph (104–112 km/h)—and a storm surge of 2–4 feet could cause moderate coastal flooding and beach erosion from Delaware Bay to Cape Cod during high tides. Meteorologist Cody Snell at the NWS's Weather Prediction Center said it has been several years since the region saw a storm of this magnitude across such a populated area.
Power cuts, flights and coastal impacts
Power outages have affected more than 150, 000 people across north-eastern states so far, including about 60, 000 in New Jersey; tens of thousands more were without power in Virginia, Delaware and Maryland, tracker PowerOutage. us showed. Flight cancellations numbered in the thousands: one tally put cancellations at about 5, 500 for Sunday, while another count said more than 6, 000 flights were cancelled through Monday. Officials warned whiteout conditions could make travel "treacherous and potentially life-threatening, " and that heavy snow on tree limbs may down power lines and cause sporadic outages.
City response: crews, shelters and school closures
Mamdani said New York would expand the response used during a major snowstorm weeks earlier, bringing in additional snow-clearing equipment from outside the city and extending 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 slated to begin work on Sunday night to get an early start on the first wave. Outreach workers were assisting unhoused New Yorkers into shelters and warming centers, Mamdani said.
Residents brace as storm unfolds
Snow began falling on Sunday evening in parts of the north-east, including Boston, Philadelphia and New York. Brooklyn resident Brandon Smith said workplaces remained open even as roads were suspended: "It's gonna be difficult for most New Yorkers to get around because we still have to go to work. It's unfortunate [roads] are suspended as jobs are not gonna stop calling us in, " he said. This storm is the second major snow event of the first-term mayor's administration; Mamdani's office noted it follows a three-week cold snap in January that was linked to 19 deaths.
One miscellaneous entry encountered in coverage carried only the words "Just a moment... " and contained no additional text; the context for that brief page was unclear in the provided context.
The travel ban runs through 12: 00 p. m. on Monday and city officials have said crews and recruited shovellers will begin clearing key routes starting Sunday night; public schools will remain closed Monday and outreach and sheltering operations are underway as the storm continues to move through the region.
