A massive snowstorm pummeled the northeast United States from Maryland to Maine on Monday, forcing millions of people to stay home amid strong wind and blizzard warnings, transportation shutdowns, and school and business closures. New York City remains under a state of emergency, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during an afternoon news briefing.
Snow fell at a rate of 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 centimeters) an hour early Monday from New York through Massachusetts.
Some areas have gotten well over a foot (30 centimeters) of snow since Sunday, along with wind gusts of over 30 mph (48 kph) and low visibility.
More than 5,000 flights in and out of the U.S. were canceled for Monday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Most were canceled in New York, New Jersey and Boston.
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Broadway shows were closed Monday for the second consecutive day.
While Monday is a traditional day off in the theater district, five productions — “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” “Chicago,” “Every Brilliant Thing,” “The Great Gatsby” and “Six” — had been slated to open their doors and will now shutter them.
“When we’re talking about the previous storm, we’re talking about a level of arctic conditions that the city had not seen for many, many years and unlike in prior storms after the snowfall, there wasn’t an increase in temperature,” Mamdani said, referring to not having reports of fatalities since the start of the current storm.
“Though it is a blizzard, one of the few pieces of good news is that we will see 40-degree (4.4 degree Celsius) weather sometime in this week,” he continued.
In a message posted on social media, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she had lifted a ban that had been in effect since 9 p.m. Sunday.
However, the Democratic governor said, “We still strongly urge residents to stay off the roads and stay inside,” citing the ongoing snowfall and dangerous conditions.
Crews have been busy since the start of the storm, working to clear streets, according to Mamdani. About 2,600 sanitation employees are staffing each shift, and 2,300 plows are helping clear snow, he said.
“I continue to encourage all non-emergency traffic — cars, trucks, scooters and e-bikes — to remain off the roads. We are plowing streets and doing everything we can to keep our roadways clear so that emergency vehicles can get through,” Mamdani said.
Parts of Staten Island have been hit hard, prompting extra clearing equipment to be sent there. About 11,000 utility customers in the Rockaways were without power Monday morning, but electricity to about 8,000 has since been restored.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a midday news conference that kids will return to school in person on Tuesday.
The city canceled classes on Monday due to the storm, with Mamdani calling it the “first old-school snow day since 2019.”
Many Americans’ lives have been upended by bitterly cold temperatures this winter.
About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say they’ve been personally affected by severe cold weather or winter storms in the past five years, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
That’s up from about half last year.
In a warming world, people’s reactions to cold weather are subjective. Abnormally cold winters are happening less frequently in North America, but experts say Americans are now experiencing extreme cold more intensely when it happens.
About 7 in 10 Americans say their electricity bills have been higher than usual because of extreme cold over the last year. Many have also experienced a work or school cancellation, a power outage, or a travel cancellation or delay.
U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds for flight cancellations.
Or, when airlines expect bad weather to create problems for flights, they often give travelers a chance to postpone their trips by a few days without having to pay a fee.
Carriers like JetBlue, Delta, Southwest and American are already offering options for select impacted customers to rebook their trips at no cost.
State Emergency Management Director William Turner also urged residents to stay off the roads.
“While a full travel ban is not in effect, the travel is still very treacherous,” he said during a news conference.
Joshua Cingranelli, the state meteorologist, said parts of southeastern Connecticut so far received about 20 inches (51 cm) of snow while wind gusted to 68 mph (109.4 kph) at Groton-New London Airport along the coastline.
Official blizzard conditions were reported in Groton, Meriden and Waterbury, he said.
Benjamin Lundell and Thomas Mehari, network consultants on a business trip from Sweden, were among those stranded in New York, after their flight to Texas was canceled Monday.
“We’re dressed for Houston currently,” said Lundell, as he trudged through knee-high snow in a thin jacket and jeans in search of a new hotel in Manhattan. “It’s a crazy day … but it’s been an adventure.”
One upside to the blizzard: Katz’s Deli, the famed pastrami shop, for once didn’t have a line.
“There were a lot of free tables,” Lundell said. “We didn’t know it was a popular place.”
Snowfall totals reached 2 feet (61 centimeters) on Monday morning in southeastern Massachusetts, Long Island in New York and parts of New Jersey and Rhode Island, according to reports made to the National Weather Service.
Ali Atoun was bundled up in a parka and hood as he worked in a Manhattan coffee truck, where he had opened up at 6 a.m.
He was warm enough, he said. But customers? “Very few.”
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is warning that more electricity outages are likely as the snow freezes, pulling tree branches onto power lines.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he told WFSB-TV shortly before 11 a.m. “This storm’s got at least a few more hours to go.”
He said roughly 20,000 homes were out of power so far.
Given the large amount of snow, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said cities and towns will be allowed to dispose of snow piles in bodies of water, subject to various restrictions.
“This additional flexibility will allow towns to more easily clear road access for emergency vehicles, and will prevent negative impacts from blocked drainage infrastructure, like localized flooding,” according to a news release from the department.
Nonessential employees at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were told not to report to campus Monday and to instead work remotely if possible. Essential employees, however, were asked to report to work as scheduled unless instructed otherwise.
Meanwhile, Harvard directed faculty, students, staff, academic personnel, and others to check their school communications channels for academic and school-specific schedule modifications.
In New York, Columbia University campuses moved to remote instruction, though essential personnel were still expected to report for work.
Snow covered Ocean City’s boardwalk after the beach community received more than 12 inches (30.5 cm) of the white stuff. The town was under a blizzard warning issued by the weather service until Monday evening.
Scattered power outages were reported, along with some traffic lights not working, according to the city’s Facebook page.
“Our teams are actively assessing roadways, infrastructure, and critical services throughout the Town to ensure we have a clear understanding of storm impacts and can prioritize response efforts where they are needed most,” said JR Harmon, the deputy city manager.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a statewide travel ban would be extended until at least noon Monday, citing high winds and whiteout conditions that persist across the state, creating “extremely dangerous travel conditions.”
The travel restriction excludes the New Jersey Turnpike and certain essential personnel, including health care workers, officials said. Anyone who violates the ban could face penalties.
Sherrill said most people are following the travel ban, which “is appreciated.”
Vince Lisi was helping his neighbors shovel in Brooklyn.
“We’ve got a wide enough path for people to walk their dogs,” he said.
Lisi, a graphic designer in his early 60s, said the snow was heavy.
“I am out of breath, but I’m almost done,” he said, adding that he’d been out about 30 minutes. “I know I’ll be out here again.”
His tip? “Just gotta take small shovelfuls.”
Most subways continued to operate in New York City, though rush hour crowds were largely absent.
In Lower Manhattan, snow shovelers appeared to outnumber commuting office workers, and pedestrians walked freely in streets normally blocked by morning traffic.
“It’s very quiet, except for the howling winds,” said Luis Valez, a concierge at a residential tower just off Wall Street, as he cleared the sidewalk. “A couple residents have gone out to get their essentials. Other than that, there’s nothing.”
Nearby, Pelle Andersson, an in-house chef at Spotify, stepped off a city bus.
“There won’t be anyone there, but we have to prepare for tomorrow,” he said, noting that he was Swedish and accustomed to extreme weather.
“This is the real deal, even for a Swede,” he added.
DART — Delaware’s multi-modal transit system — says all services statewide will not operate Monday due to the storm.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s regional Wilmington/Newark line is also temporarily suspended.
Commercial vehicle travel restrictions are in place on all roads across both states. Vehicles transporting emergency supplies and/or emergency personnel are exempt from the restrictions.
Speed limits on New Jersey interstates and state highways have been lowered temporarily to 35 mph (56.3 kph) under an emergency traffic regulation order.
The order started Sunday afternoon and includes the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City says some express trains are running local on Monday and riders should expect delays. Some delays could be severe, especially on lines running above ground.
Bus riders also should expect longer waits as articulated buses have been removed from service during the storm.
Meanwhile, Long Island Rail Road service has been fully suspended until further notice, while the Metro-North Railroad is operating on a reduced schedule in some areas.
1. Stay indoors, but be mindful. Home heating systems running for hours can increase the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Carbon monoxide can also be created when people use portable generators or run cars in their garages to stay warm or charge their phones.
2. If you have to go out, limit your time and dress appropriately. Prolonged exposure to frigid temperatures and/or wet clothing can put people at risk of hypothermia, a condition that happens when one’s body loses heat faster than it can produce it.
3. Protect your pipes from freezing. Jose Parra, a master plumber with Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical in Houston, advises people to insulate any pipes exposed to the outside, turn off and drain sprinkler systems and let faucets inside drip during freezing temperatures.
4. Check on people who may have difficulty finding a warm and safe place to stay, including people with disabilities and homeless individuals.
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The weather service referred to the storm as a “classic bomb cyclone/nor’easter off the Northeast coast.” But what does that mean?
According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, certain storms undergo bombogenesis, which happens when a storm’s central pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours. These storms are sometimes called bomb cyclones. Storm intensity is measured by central pressure, so the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm.
Such rapidly strengthening storms can produce heavy rain, blizzard conditions and intense winds that can lead to downed trees and power outages.
Bomb cyclones can occur in any season, but primarily develop during fall and winter when frigid air from the Arctic can creep south and clash with warmer air masses.
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More than 5,000 flights in and out of the United States were canceled for Monday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Most were canceled in New York, New Jersey and Boston.
Public transit also was suspended in some areas. And DoorDash announced it was suspending deliveries in New York City overnight.
“The combination of heavy snowfall and strong winds will continue to produce blizzard conditions along the Northeastern Seaboard,” the weather service said Monday. “Sharply reduced visibility will make travel extremely treacherous across these areas.”
Heavy snow and strong winds have intensified, creating whiteout conditions in a large swath of the northeastern U.S.
The National Weather Service called travel conditions “nearly impossible.”
Blizzard warnings stretched from Maryland to Maine. Cellphones across New York City received wailing push alerts Sunday night announcing a ban on non-emergency travel on all streets through noon Monday because of “dangerous blizzard conditions.” Rhode Island and New Jersey implemented similar restrictions.
22.5 inches (57 centimeters) at New York, Long Island MacArthur Airport
About 15 inches (38 centimeters) fell in New York City’s Central Park
About 18 inches (46 centimeters) in Newark, New Jersey
17 inches (43 centimeters) in New London, Connecticut
17 inches (43 centimeters) in North Kingstown, Rhode Island
