A massive snowstorm hit the Northeastern United States on Monday, keeping millions of people indoors in New York. As much as 22 inches of snow fell in some areas, with drivers advised to stay off the roads and schools closed.
Heavy snow, high winds and low visibility are “expected to make travel hazardous or even impossible,” the National Weather Service said. The weather service warned of “potentially historic/damaging storms” with strong winds that could cause whiteout conditions.
School closures, blizzard warning issues, key points
- Up to 22 inches of snow: As of 7 a.m. local time, a large amount of snow had fallen in New York, with the highest amount of snowfall in Islip, reaching 22.5 inches. Newark reported 18.3 inches. Central Park and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) both recorded 15.1 inches of snow, while JFK Airport reported 15.0 inches, the NWS reported.
- To impose a travel ban: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a travel ban, allowing only essential vehicles on the road. “New York City has never experienced a storm of this magnitude in the past decade,” he said in explaining the state of emergency. “We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all nonessential travel,” Mamdani was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
- A blizzard warning is issued: Blizzard warnings have been issued from Maryland to Maine due to the extreme conditions. New York, Philadelphia and other cities declared states of emergency, as did several states from Delaware to Massachusetts.
- More than 5,000 flights canceled: More than 5,000 flights to and from the United States were reportedly canceled on Monday, according to the Associated Press. Most events in New York, New Jersey and Boston were canceled.
- Citizens face power outages: The storm plunged more than 400,000 residents along the East Coast into darkness early Monday, including about 146,000 in Massachusetts and 123,000 in New Jersey.
- Classic Bomb Cyclone: The National Weather Service described the situation as similar to a “classic bomb cyclone along the Northeast coast.” A bomb cyclone is a storm with a pressure drop of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
- Public school cancellations: New York City and Boston canceled public school classes on Monday due to travel bans and emergencies. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it “the first good old-fashioned snow day since 2019.”
Some landmarks and cultural institutions were closed on Monday, and Broadway shows were canceled.
