Blizzard Warnings Spread Across the East Coast as Powerful Winter Storm Arrives
A fierce winter storm descended on the Northeastern United States Sunday evening, prompting blizzard warnings from Maryland to Massachusetts, travel bans in major cities, and the cancellation of thousands of flights and even Broadway shows.
Snow began falling in New Jersey and New York as the storm pushed northward, with the National Weather Service predicting 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) of snow in many areas, accompanied by heavy winds that could reduce visibility to a quarter-mile or less.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a major nor’easter and major blizzard of this magnitude across the Northeast,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the service’s Weather Prediction Center. “This is definitely a major winter storm and a major impact for this part of the country.”
States of Emergency and Travel Bans
State of emergency declarations were issued in New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and parts of New York as officials mobilized readiness efforts. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a ban on non-emergency travel on all streets from 9 p.m. ET Sunday through noon Monday, with similar restrictions in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere.
Regional airports canceled flights ahead of the storm, and even DoorDash announced it would suspend deliveries in the city overnight. To the south, landmarks including Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., announced Monday closures.
A “Potentially Historic” Storm
The weather service warned that some of the heaviest snow would fall overnight, with as much as 2 inches per hour accumulating at times before tapering off Monday afternoon. Strong wind gusts could create whiteout conditions, and forecasters warned of a “Potentially Historic/Destructive Storm” southeast of the Boston-Providence corridor.
Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Boston office, expressed particular concern about the combination of heavy, wet snow and strong winds: “Winds like that, combined with heavy, wet snow, are a recipe for damaged trees and prolonged power outages.”
The storm could meet the definition of a “bomb cyclone”—a storm that drops at least 24 millibars in pressure in 24 hours. “We’re expecting it to drop by that magnitude at least over the course of the next 24 hours,” said meteorologist Frank Pereira.
Cities Shut Down
Mayor Mamdani also canceled in-person and virtual classes for New York City schools on Monday, calling it the “first old-school snow day since 2019.” His message to students: “And to kids across New York City, you have a very serious mission if you choose to accept it: Stay cozy.”
The city mobilized robust plow operations and recruited workers to shovel snow, with some beginning Sunday night to get an early start on the first wave of snowfall. Outreach workers also fanned out to coax homeless New Yorkers off the streets and into shelters and warming centers.
More than 3,500 flights were canceled across the US as of Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware, with airports in New York City and Boston seeing widespread cancellations and delays.
Preparing for the Cleanup
For businesses like Berrington Snow Management, the storm meant scrapping personal plans and preparing for a mammoth task. John Berlingieri abandoned a family trip to Puerto Rico to ready his company’s 40 front-end loaders and snow-removal vehicles for clearing millions of square feet of asphalt across Long Island.
“I’m anticipating at least one week of work around the clock,” Berlingieri said. “We’re going to work 24 to 36 hours straight, sleep for a few hours and then go back.”
As the storm roared up the coast, millions hunkered down, waiting for the snow to fall, the wind to howl, and the long work of digging out to begin.
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