Nyc Travel Ban Keeps City Grounded as Blizzard Dumps Up to 2ft and Mass Transit Shuts Down
A citywide nyc travel ban is in force as a major winter storm delivers up to 2ft (60cm) of snow across the Northeast, prompting widespread transit suspensions, more than 5, 000 flight cancellations and hundreds of thousands without power. The ban and cascading service changes matter now because officials are expecting whiteout conditions and extreme winds that have already made travel near-impossible and forced agencies to halt operations for safety.
Nyc Travel Ban in effect across New York City
Non-essential travel in New York City is barred until midday local time (17: 00 GMT), a restriction issued amid shin-deep snow that a city correspondent, Brandon Livesay, described on the ground. The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services warned of "near-impossible travel" and said strong winds combined with intense snow rates will create whiteout conditions across Downstate New York. The state's Department of Transportation urged remote work with a blunt advisory: "If you can work remotely today, do it. " The timing matters because the ban aligns with forecast peak snowfall and gusts that agencies cite as the primary safety concern.
Mass transit disruptions at MTA, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North
MTA services across the city and region have been sharply altered. Subway service is operating with suspensions on the C and W lines and parts of the S shuttle, while lines such as the 1, 7, E, Z and R and other segments of the S line remain running but face severe delays. Above-ground routes are at risk of further modification.
The Long Island Rail Road suspended all service beginning at 1 a. m. Monday until weather conditions allow safe resumption so crews could focus on snow clearing. Service had already been reduced starting at 7 p. m. Sunday to hourly on the Port Jefferson and Port Washington branches and to half-hourly on the Babylon Branch. MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "We are going to wait until we see how the wind, in particular, abates before we make a decision on restoring LIRR service. "
Metro-North is operating with delays and service changes, running an hourly schedule for Monday and weekend schedules on branch lines. The Hudson Rail Link connecting bus will be suspended, and shuttle buses that had been substituting for the Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry because of river ice will also be suspended.
NJ Transit suspensions and extended New Jersey travel ban
NJ Transit halted rail service at 9 p. m., while bus, Light Rail and Access Link services were suspended at 6 p. m., with agencies intending to resume when conditions permit on Monday. New Jersey extended a statewide travel ban until 12: 00 local time (17: 00 GMT); Governor Mikie Sherrill said the mandatory restriction was lengthened "due to the ongoing hazardous storm conditions. " She added that additional crews and mutual aid are being sent in and that the Board of Utilities is coordinating with utility providers in response to power outages.
Flights, forecasts and National Weather Service warnings
The National Weather Service has documented more than 22 inches of snowfall in parts of the east coast and forecast up to 2ft (60cm) in some locations as winter storm warnings stretched from North Carolina to northern Maine and into parts of eastern Canada. More than 5, 000 flights into and out of the United States were cancelled on Monday, and hundreds of thousands of customers were reported without power. It is the first time in nine years that New York City has been placed under a blizzard warning.
Visuals from the overnight storm show landmarks like the Empire State Building engulfed by snow. Connecticut's Department of Transportation urged residents to "Stay home and stay off the roads. If you must go out, slow down, stay alert, and #DontCrowdThePlow. "
Emergency Executive Order No. 3
Emergency Executive Order No. 3 is listed among the day's headlines, but the content and scope of that order are unclear in the provided context.
News updates credited Caitlin Doherty and Alex Smith with edits and noted weather commentary from Chris Fawkes. Practical effects of the storm are visible and measurable: suspended rail timetables, 40-foot buses replacing longer accordion-style vehicles fitted with chained wheels, a temporary halt to key commuter ferry substitutions, and explicit travel bans tied to projected extreme-velocity winds on eastern Long Island. What makes this notable is the simultaneous broad shutdown across air, rail, road and ferry networks—an interlocking set of disruptions that leave large parts of the Tri-State area effectively immobilized until the storm and the worst of the winds abate.
