Ferocious Blizzard Tears Through U.S. Northeast
Roughly 65 million people — nearly one in five Americans — were placed under weather alerts, with approximately 35 million facing blizzard warnings spanning from Maine to coastal Virginia.
The storm dealt a severe blow to transportation networks. By 9 p.m. Monday (0200 GMT Tuesday), more than 5,700 flights within, into, or out of the United States had been canceled and over 3,400 delayed, according to flight-tracking platform FlightAware. John F. Kennedy International Airport absorbed the heaviest cancellations, trailed by LaGuardia Airport and Newark International Airport.
Power infrastructure buckled under the storm's weight. By Monday afternoon, more than half a million homes and businesses across the region had lost electricity, according to PowerOutage.us. Massachusetts bore the worst of it, with nearly 300,000 customers in the dark. New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, and Connecticut also recorded widespread outages.
New York City was buried under 16 to 19 inches of snow by Monday afternoon, with parts of eastern Staten Island surpassing two feet. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a stark warning at a press conference, urging residents to remain indoors as refreezing conditions made travel treacherous. A hazardous travel advisory was extended through midnight.
City officials cautioned the storm could rank among the worst to hit New York in 150 years. The fury of the weather forced the closure of the UN headquarters complex in Manhattan.
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts all declared states of emergency. Several imposed commercial vehicle bans and sweeping travel restrictions.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed she had activated 100 National Guard members to support Long Island, New York City, and the lower Hudson Valley — regions projected to absorb the storm's full force. In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey deployed 200 National Guard troops for recovery operations as a state of emergency remained in force.
Transit systems ground to a halt across the region. Commuter train and bus services in New Jersey were suspended, while the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority scrapped all operations from Sunday night through Monday.
In Connecticut, Emergency Management Director William Turner warned residents of further outages ahead and cautioned against venturing onto roadways. The state remained under a commercial travel ban Monday afternoon, with severe cold-weather protocols set to stay in effect through at least Tuesday noon, according to Turner.
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