New York Blizzard forces citywide travel ban as nor'easter slams the northeast
The new york blizzard has prompted New York City to impose a full travel ban and left tens of thousands without power as a nor'easter began lashing the US north-east, forecasters warned it would affect much of the region and parts of Canada's maritime provinces from Sunday evening into Monday.
New York Blizzard prompts citywide travel ban
A full travel ban is in place in New York City from Sunday evening until noon local time on Monday, when the city is expected to be hit with 18-24 inches of snow and temperatures as low as -6C (20F). Mayor Zohran Mamdani said all streets, highways and bridges would be shut to traffic apart from emergencies and that schools would be closed. He warned the most severe snowfall could reach up to 28 inches (70cm) overnight into Monday.
Storm warning covers tens of millions and multiple jurisdictions
Some 59 million people were under weather warnings as states of emergency were declared across the region and several states instituted travel restrictions or bans. Forecasters said much of the US north-east and Canada's maritime provinces would be affected from Sunday evening into Monday, and the storm was expected to be the most powerful nor'easter in nearly a decade for much of the region, bringing snow, fierce winds and coastal flooding.
Heavy snow totals and rapid accumulation warned
Much of the north-east was already blanketed in several inches of snow, with 10 inches (25cm) recorded in Manorville, New York, and Howell, New Jersey as of midnight local time (05: 00 GMT on Monday). The US National Weather Service warned snowfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour and that totals could reach 1-2ft (30-60cm) in places, producing "nearly impossible" travel conditions that were "extremely treacherous. " NWS meteorologist Cody Snell said, "While we do get plenty of these nor'easters that produce heavy snow and strong impacts, it's been several years since we saw one of this magnitude across this large of a region in this very populated part of the country. " He made the remark to the 's US partner CBS News.
Widespread cancellations, outages and travel chaos
Nearly 90, 000 properties were 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), tracker PowerOutage showed. Flight monitor FlightAware recorded around 5, 500 US flight cancellations on Sunday and hundreds of delays; thousands more cancellations had occurred on Monday, with John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports worst affected.
Official and public reactions across the city and state
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the whole state and put 100 members of the National Guard on ready alert. She said, "This will be something the likes of which we've not seen in years, " adding, "People will be in the dark. Long Island and New York City and lower Hudson are literally in the direct eye of the storm. " The city also canceled all Broadway shows on Sunday evening, and the New York Racing Association canceled Sunday's eight horse races at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Residents expressed alarm at the timing and impacts. Brooklyn resident Brandon Smith said, "It's gonna be difficult for most New Yorkers to get around because we still have to go to work, " and added, "It's unfortunate [roads] are suspended as jobs are not gonna stop calling us in. " Officials warned coastal areas could see the highest wind gusts — up to 65-70mph (104-112km/h) — with downed tree limbs and additional power outages expected along the coast.
Next confirmed developments include the travel ban in New York City remaining in effect through noon local time on Monday and continued storm impacts across the north-east through Monday as forecasters track heavy snow, high winds and coastal flooding.
