East Coast blizzard halts travel, cancels 8,000+ flights
More than 40 million people are waking up under blizzard warnings on Monday as a powerful winter storm moves up the East Coast. Travel bans, school closures and thousands of flight cancellations are already in effect from the Mid-Atlantic through southern New England.
Snow began as rain in some areas on Sunday before turning to heavy snow overnight. Forecasters expect 1 to 2 feet across large parts of the region, with higher totals possible in major cities. Winds of 25 to 35 mph, with stronger gusts, are creating whiteout conditions and increasing the risk of outages.
Blizzard warnings stretch from New York City and Long Island through Boston and coastal New England. Winter storm warnings extend inland, including parts of Pennsylvania and upstate New York.
Travel bans and emergency orders take effect
New York City’s travel ban began at 9 p.m. Sunday night, shutting roads, bridges and highways to nonessential traffic until noon Monday. Only emergency and essential vehicles are permitted.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency and canceled public schools, the city’s first traditional snow day since 2019.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul activated the National Guard and warned the storm could rank among the 10 worst in state history.
“This will be something the likes of which we’ve not seen in years,” Hochul said. “It’s going to exceed all expectations even now, so you need to be prepared for the worst.”
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro said the Philadelphia region could see 18 to 24 inches of snow. New Jersey, Massachusetts and other states issued emergency declarations and urged residents to stay off the roads.
Public transit systems suspended or reduced service across parts of the region. New Jersey lowered speed limits on major highways. Officials warned that key corridors, including Interstate 95, could become impassable during peak snowfall.
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Thousands of flights grounded
Air travel is heavily disrupted. More than 8,000 flights have been canceled, according to FlightAware. New York City, Boston and Philadelphia account for most of them.
Delta canceled flights at LaGuardia, JFK and Boston and issued waivers. American Airlines said it aims to resume operations Tuesday if conditions allow. JetBlue, United and Southwest each canceled hundreds of flights.
Snowfall rates reached up to two inches per hour in some areas overnight, forcing airports to suspend departures.
Heavy snow and strong winds continue Monday
The heaviest snow continues into Monday afternoon. Blizzard conditions require sustained winds of at least 35 mph and visibility reduced to a quarter mile or less for three hours or more — thresholds forecasters say parts of the region will meet.
Coastal flooding is possible from the Jersey Shore through southeastern New England during high tide. Heavy, wet snow combined with strong winds could bring down tree limbs and power lines.
Crews pre-positioned plows and salt spreaders ahead of the storm and expanded staffing for road clearing and emergency response.
Snow tapers later Monday. Hazardous travel and scattered outages may linger into Tuesday.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
