New York Snow: new york snow strands millions as northeast digs out from record nor'easter
The nor'easter that hit the US east coast on Monday left new york snow across the region, grounding flights, forcing travel bans and cutting power for hundreds of thousands. The scale of the storm matters now because record totals in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, sustained high winds and widespread disruptions are still affecting travel and recovery operations.
Record totals bury Rhode Island and Providence
Parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts saw nearly 37in (94cm) of snowfall, and Providence, the Rhode Island state capital, received 36in (91cm), exceeding the previous single-storm record of 28. 6in (72. 6cm) set in February 1978. Candice Hrencecin, an NWS meteorologist in Boston, said the storm "completely smashed it" and added, "We were just as shocked as everyone else. " Snowfall in New York City's Central Park topped more than 19in, and many communities reported totals that dwarfed typical seasonal storms.
New York Snow shutters flights and transit
More than 5, 000 flights were canceled as the storm stalled travel across the region, and a flight-tracking website showed almost 6, 000 cancellations in and out of the US, with most cancellations centered on New York, New Jersey and Boston. At Rhode Island's TF Green international airport, close to 38in of snow had fallen by 7pm local time and all scheduled departing and arriving flights were canceled through the day. Public transit was suspended in some areas, though services in New York continued to run with delays and service changes.
Travel bans and emergency orders from Rhode Island to Massachusetts
State and city officials ordered bans on non-essential travel during the worst of the storm. Rhode Island imposed a ban on non-essential travel, and neighbouring Connecticut also implemented a travel ban; later in the day Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey imposed a travel ban and signed an executive order limiting 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 ban in effect as heavy snow continued into Monday evening. At noon, Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed New York's travel ban had been lifted and urged drivers to "exercise caution, travel slowly, and be mindful of others on the road. " 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. "
Blizzard warnings, high winds and widespread outages
Weather warnings stretched from North Carolina to northern Maine, with some warnings extending into parts of eastern Canada, and blizzard warnings ran from Maryland to Maine, affecting 40 million people. Forecasters warned that "the combination of lingering snowfall and strong winds will continue to produce blizzard conditions and blowing snow along the Northeastern Seaboard this evening, " and that "sharply reduced visibility will make travel extremely treacherous and nearly impossible at times across these areas into early Tuesday. " In some places wind gusts topped 30mph (48km/h) and, Healey said in an afternoon news conference, gusts reached hurricane-force levels up to 80mph in some areas and visibility had been close to zero. More than 600, 000 properties on the US east coast endured power outages. Snow accumulations were anticipated to reach 1–2ft (30–61cm) near the north-east coastline as the nor'easter moved away from the US and across coastal parts of eastern Canada, though strong winds were expected to persist.
Local impacts: presses stopped and residents stranded
A major US newspaper announced it would not go to print for the first time in its 153-year history because of the storm. Boston resident and avid walker Bradley Jay said the conditions 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. " Governor Healey described the storm as "a doozy" in an afternoon news conference, called it "serious and severe, " and warned that "white-out conditions are making travel extremely dangerous. " In an online post she urged people to stay off the roads, writing that "if you get stuck, help will have a hard time reaching you... I strongly urge everyone to stay off the roads no matter where you live. " A white-out, the announcements noted, is when snow significantly reduces visibility.
