New York orders citywide travel ban as major storm hits US
New York ordered drivers off the road and shut down schools on Monday, while residents hunkered down for a massive snowstorm hitting the United States northeast. The National Weather Service (NWS) said in a post on X that "heavy snow is still falling" at 5:28 am local time (1028 GMT) on Monday adding that a the total snowfall stands at 14.9 inches. According to the city's emergency services, between 9 and 11 inches of snow covered Manhattan and Brooklyn and "all non-essential vehicles are prohibited from operating on NYC Streets, Highways, and Bridges."
Tens of millions of Americans from the US capital, Washington, to the northern state of Maine have prepared for up to two feet (60 centimeters) of snow forecast in some areas. Snow and "freezing fog" with lows of 29F (-2C) were recorded in New York just before 6 am local time (1100 GMT), NWS said on its website. NWS has also predicted blizzard conditions would "quickly materialize" from Maryland up to southeastern New England, making travel "extremely treacherous." Early Monday morning, the storm had already begun to hit New York, slashing visibility to the extent that the skyscrapers of Wall Street were barely visible from the adjacent borough of Brooklyn.
Power outages are likely due to heavy snow and strong wind gusts, forecasters said. Just before 7:00 am local time (1200 GMT) on Monday, at least 119,347 customers were without power in the state of New Jersey, according to tracking website poweroutage.us. Meanwhile, more than 5,000 flights have been cancelled, data from the tracker FlightAware showed early Monday. In New York, which has more than eight million residents, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said streets, highways and bridges would be shut until noon Monday. "New York City has not faced a storm of this scale in the last decade," he said, explaining the state of emergency. "We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all non-essential travel."
The ban will not apply to essential workers or New Yorkers needing to travel due to emergencies. Brandon Smith, 33, who lives in Brooklyn, complained that some workplaces had remained open, even if roads were not. "It's gonna be difficult for most New Yorkers to get around because we still have to go to work. It's unfortunate (roads) are suspended as jobs are not gonna stop calling us in," he said. Tourists, on the other hand, were delighted by the spectacle of their first experiences of snowfall. Macarena Gonzalez, who came from Chile, said that she knew it was going to snow but didn't realize to what extent.
"I'm happy, it's a great experience," she told AFP on Sunday while exploring Times Square. The NWS warned heavy snow, high winds and low visibility were "expected to cause dangerous to impossible travel" conditions. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency beginning midday Sunday, freeing up funds and allowing the swift deployment of resources to address the weather crisis. In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu closed all public schools and municipal buildings on Monday. "We ask everyone to plan ahead, stay safe and warm, and stay off the roads to help our public works and public safety efforts," Wu said.
Further south, Washington escaped the worst of the snows, but schools in many districts in the capital region were closed Monday. The storm comes just weeks after the region recovered from another devastating winter weather system that was linked to more than 100 deaths. "The worst is yet to come," New York Governor Kathy Hochul told a press briefing on Sunday. "Whatever you need -- any groceries, any medicines you need to be refilled at the pharmacy, any pet food you need to have -- do it right now."
Then, she advised, "just settle in." "Watch some more Olympics, read a book, catch up on the news, call your family members, call your moms -- especially your moms."
