The northeast United States is facing one of its most severe winter storms in nearly a decade, as New York City and surrounding states struggle to cope with heavy snowfall, power outages, and widespread travel disruptions.
The blizzard, the first of its magnitude to hit New York City in nine years, has prompted city authorities to ban all non-essential travel, closing streets, highways, and bridges to all but emergency vehicles.
The travel ban took effect at 9:00 p.m. Sunday local time (02:00 GMT Monday) and is expected to remain in place until noon Monday (17:00 GMT).
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the closure of all public schools and urged residents to remain indoors as snow accumulations could reach 28 inches (70 cm) in some areas.
Forecasters warn that the storm is affecting 59 million people across the U.S. Northeast, stretching from North Carolina to northern Maine, with winter storm alerts extending into parts of eastern Canada.
Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the U.S. National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center, described the event as “one of the largest nor’easters in years” across a heavily populated region.
By midnight Monday local time (05:00 GMT), significant snowfall had already blanketed much of the northeast.
Manorville, NY, and Howell, NJ, reported 10 inches (25 cm) of snow, with rates expected to reach 2–3 inches per hour, creating travel conditions described as “extremely treacherous” by the National Weather Service.
The storm has wreaked havoc on air travel, with over 5,500 flights cancelled nationwide and hundreds more delayed, according to FlightAware.
Utilities have reported more than 200,000 power outages, including 60,000 in New Jersey, with tens of thousands more in Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland.
In response, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the entire state, placing 100 National Guard members on standby.
“This will be something the likes of which we’ve not seen in years,” Hochul warned.
“People will be in the dark. Long Island, New York City, and the lower Hudson are literally in the direct eye of the storm.”
Daily life has ground to a halt. All Broadway performances Sunday evening were cancelled, and the New York Racing Association called off eight horse races at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Neighbouring states including Rhode Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Delaware, and Pennsylvania implemented similar travel restrictions, with school closures and government office delays reported across the region.
Across the border, Nova Scotia in Canada is contending with severe winter conditions, as an amber weather warning forecasts widespread power outages, structural damage, and dangerous debris until early Tuesday.
Officials continue to urge residents to remain indoors, stock emergency supplies, and avoid all non-essential travel as the blizzard continues to hammer the region.
