New York Snow grounds travel as almost 6,000 flights are canceled and millions face bans
A major storm that struck the US east coast on Monday dumped record-breaking snow and shut down travel across the region. The new york snow and high winds forced flight cancellations, widespread power losses and travel bans that left millions stuck at home.
New York Snow and air travel: nearly 6, 000 cancellations, TF Green shut down
Almost 6, 000 flights in and out of the US were canceled during the storm, with the largest concentration of cancellations in New York, New Jersey and Boston. By 7pm local time, close to 38in of snow had fallen at Rhode Island’s TF Green international airport, where all scheduled departing and arriving flights had been canceled through the day.
Rhode Island and Providence shatter snowfall records
Parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts saw nearly 37in (94cm) of snowfall, and Providence recorded 36in (91cm). That total dwarfed the existing record for a single greatest snowstorm in the state—28. 6in (72. 6cm) set in February 1978—and left Rhode Island described as having its worst snowstorm ever.
State and city travel bans from Rhode Island to New York
Travel across the region was severely limited, with a ban on non-essential travel implemented in Rhode Island and in neighbouring Connecticut. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey later imposed a travel ban and signed an executive order to bar non-essential vehicles in Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable counties. New Jersey’s travel ban was lifted early on Monday afternoon, while Rhode Island kept its restriction in effect as heavy snow continued into the evening.
Cellphones across New York City received wailing push alerts on Sunday night announcing a ban on non-emergency travel on all streets through noon on Monday because of "dangerous blizzard conditions. " At noon, Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that New York’s travel ban had been lifted but urged drivers to "exercise caution, travel slowly, and be mindful of others on the road. " The blizzard warnings ranged broadly, affecting areas from Maryland to Maine and leaving some 40 million people under warnings.
White-out conditions, hurricane-force gusts and widespread outages
Forecasters and officials described white-out conditions and extreme winds. In some areas wind gusts topped 30mph, and Massachusetts gusts reached hurricane-force levels of up to 80mph in some places, with visibility close to zero. The National Weather Service said weather warnings stretched from North Carolina to northern Maine, with some warnings further north into parts of eastern Canada, and that the so-called nor'easter had moved away from the US and across coastal parts of eastern Canada while strong winds were expected to persist.
More than 600, 000 properties on the US east coast endured power outages, and public transit was suspended in some areas; transit remained running in New York but with delays and service changes. The National Weather Service also anticipated snow accumulations of 1–2ft (30–61cm) near the north-east coastline as the storm moved away, while warning that lingering snowfall and strong winds would continue to produce blizzard conditions and blowing snow into early Tuesday.
Voices from the storm and official warnings
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey called the storm "a doozy, " saying it had been "serious and severe, " that "the snow is still coming down pretty hard and it will be for a while, " and urging residents to stay home so road-clearing teams could work. She also said that if people became stuck, help would have a hard time reaching them, and she strongly urged everyone to stay off the roads no matter where they live. Healey said she had asked neighbouring states such as Vermont and New York for additional resources to support clearing efforts, and remarked, "We haven’t seen a snowstorm quite like this – as intense – in at least four years. "
Candice Hrencecin, an NWS meteorologist in Boston, said, "It completely smashed it, " and added, "We were just as shocked as everyone else. " A Boston resident and avid walker, Bradley Jay, said the storm had made him feel like a "prisoner, " adding, "I won't be able to really walk around town for another ten days. So I'm stuck inside. "
Regional travel and service disruptions stretched beyond roads and airports: a major US newspaper said it would not go to print for the first time in its 153-year history because of the storm.
