New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has declared a state of emergency as a powerful blizzard moves toward the city. With heavy snow and strong winds expected, he also announced a city-wide travel ban that will begin Sunday night.
Speaking at a press conference, Mamdani said all city streets, highways and bridges will be closed to non-emergency traffic starting at 9 pm Sunday. The ban will stay in place until noon on Monday.
The restriction applies to all vehicles, including cars, trucks, scooters and even e-bikes. Only emergency vehicles and critical service workers will be allowed on the roads.
NYC weather update: Up to 2 feet of snow, 60 mph winds expected
Forecasters say a powerful cyclone could dump as much as 2 feet of snow along the busy I-95 corridor. Wind gusts may reach up to 60 miles per hour. Officials are warning residents to prepare for possible power outages as the storm grows stronger through Sunday night.
Blizzard warnings were issued for more than 40 million Americans. New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia are each expected to receive 18 to 24 inches of snow. Washington could see 2 to 5 inches, while Baltimore may receive 5 to 10 inches.
NYC mayor bans travel, cancels classes
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a travel ban from 9 pm Sunday to 9 am Monday. All bridges and roads will be closed to nonessential traffic to keep people off the streets during the worst of the storm.
Public schools will also be closed for an “old school snow day.” That is different from January, when students had to attend classes online during another storm, a decision that reportedly led some students to get creative enough to email the mayor’s wife, according to Bloomberg.
Is the I-95 corridor closed amid NYC blizzard warning?
Starting at 3 pm Sunday, travel restrictions for commercial vehicles will be enforced on several major Interstate highways. These include I-76, I-78, I-80, I-195, I-280, I-287, I-295, I-676 and Route 440 in both directions from the Outerbridge Crossing to I-287.
Non-essential vehicles will not be allowed on the roads during that time, with only limited exceptions. In Westchester County, officials are following guidance from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. A full road ban will be in effect from 9 p.m. Sunday until 10 am Monday.
NYC weather update: Airports shut down, thousands of flights cancelled
Air travel across the Northeast has already come to a halt. Major airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport, are seeing major shutdowns.
At JFK, 82% of Monday’s flights have been cancelled. LaGuardia has canceled 91% of its flights, while Boston Logan has scrapped 86%, according to FOX News.
By Sunday evening, 8,858 flights in the US had been canceled and another 5,196 were delayed. In total, more than 14,000 flights have been disrupted.
Subways running, LIRR shut down
Public transportation is being affected as well. The Long Island Rail Road will be completely shut down on Monday, according to the MTA. Service on the LIRR was set to be reduced starting at 7 pm Sunday, with hourly trains on the Port Jefferson and Port Washington branches, and every 30 minutes on the Babylon Branch.
Metro-North will run on a holiday schedule on Monday, with weekend service on its branch lines. Subways in New York City will continue to operate, but with modified service. Express trains will mostly run on local tracks.
The Staten Island Railway will operate on a weekend schedule Monday. Bus service may also be reduced depending on road conditions. The MTA urged riders to check their route status online before leaving home.
A potentially historic winter storm in NYC
The National Weather Service in New York City issued a statement late Sunday. “A potentially historic winter storm will impact the Tri-State area today into Monday,” the agency wrote. “This is a dangerous situation with blizzard conditions expected to develop tonight.”
Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Centre, said the heaviest snow will come from southern New Jersey up through southeastern Massachusetts. “They could see one to two feet of snow and locally higher amounts in bands that set up,” Snell said.
NYC weather update: Coastal flooding warnings in place
Apart from snow, more than 23 million people are under warnings or advisories for possible coastal flooding in low-lying areas and along rivers overnight into Monday.
Along the coast of Connecticut and southern Westchester County in New York, moderate flooding is expected near waterfront areas. Water level could rise 1.5 to 2.5 feet above ground level, leading to road closures and flooding of parking lots, lawns, homes and businesses. Cars parked in low-lying waterfront spots could be flooded.