New York Blizzard Prompts City Travel Ban as Nor'easter Pummels Northeast
A powerful nor'easter—the new york blizzard—has battered the US north-east, triggering a full travel ban in New York City and widespread damage that has left tens of thousands without power. The storm is striking at a window that forecasters say will stretch from Sunday evening into Monday, forcing closures, mass cancellations and emergency measures across the region.
New York Blizzard triggers New York City travel ban and closures
New York City imposed a full travel ban from Sunday evening until noon local time on Monday, closing all streets, highways and bridges to non-emergency traffic and ordering schools to remain shut. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city could receive 18-24 inches of snow, with pockets of the most severe snowfall reaching up to 28 inches (70cm) overnight into Monday, and warned temperatures could fall as low as -6C (20F). He noted this was the first blizzard warning for the city in nine years and the second major snowstorm of his new administration after a three-week cold snap in January that resulted in 19 deaths.
National Weather Service issues high-rate snowfall and hazard warnings
The National Weather Service cautioned that snow rates could reach an estimated 2-3 inches per hour, with total accumulations of 1-2 feet (30-60cm) possible in some locations—conditions it described as creating "nearly impossible" and "extremely treacherous" travel. NWS meteorologist Cody Snell said it has been several years since a storm of this magnitude has impacted such a large, heavily populated portion of the north-east, and forecasters expect coastal flooding alongside heavy snow and fierce winds.
PowerOutage tracker logs outages in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
PowerOutage recorded nearly 90, 000 properties without power in New Jersey alone, with tens of thousands more affected in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia as of 03: 00 local time (08: 00 GMT). In total, some 59 million people were placed under weather warnings and states of emergency were declared across the region, while several states moved to impose travel restrictions or bans to limit movement and reduce risk to residents.
John F Kennedy and LaGuardia among airports hardest hit by cancellations
Air travel was severely disrupted: the monitor FlightAware logged about 5, 500 US flight cancellations on Sunday, with hundreds of additional delays, and thousands more flights were cancelled on Monday. John F Kennedy and LaGuardia airports were identified as among the worst affected, compounding the impact on commuters and holiday travel plans.
Broadway dark, Aqueduct races called off and National Guard placed on alert
Broadway performances for Sunday evening were cancelled and the New York Racing Association called off eight horse races scheduled at the Aqueduct Racetrack. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide state of emergency and placed 100 members of the National Guard on ready alert. Hochul warned that people could be left without power and urged preparations for significant impacts across Long Island, New York City and the lower Hudson.
Local observations: Manorville, Howell and community reaction
Much of the north-east had already seen several inches of snow: 10 inches (25cm) were recorded in Manorville, New York, and Howell, New Jersey, as of midnight local time (05: 00 GMT on Monday). Brooklyn resident Brandon Smith described how suspensions of road access would make daily work and travel difficult for many residents, noting that job obligations do not stop even when roads are closed.
The storm's combination of high snowfall rates, strong coastal gusts and timing has produced a cascading set of effects: torrential snow is undermining road and air travel, the winds are bringing the risk of downed limbs and outages, and the projected coastal flooding compounds the danger to low-lying areas. The timing matters because the period from Sunday evening into Monday coincides with heavy travel and commuter movement, magnifying the disruption to flights, public transit and emergency response.
Forecasters say the nor'easter will affect much of the US north-east and Canada's maritime provinces through the immediate period, and officials across multiple states remain on heightened alert as crews work to clear roads, restore power and keep emergency lanes open for essential services.
