Blizzard Batters US Northeast, Grounding Flights and Disrupting Millions
A flight information display board at LaGuardia Airport in New York showed numerous cancellations on Sunday as a powerful blizzard swept across the northeastern United States. The storm, characterized by heavy, wet snow and ferocious winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour, has triggered blizzard warnings from Maryland to Massachusetts, impacting more than 35 million residents.
Widespread Disruption and Severe Weather Forecasts
The National Weather Service issued urgent warnings, predicting that the storm could intensify significantly beyond earlier projections. Forecasts indicate accumulations of 1 to 2 feet of snow in many areas, with blizzard warnings covering New York City, Long Island, and coastal communities in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, including Boston. Additionally, a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet threatens moderate coastal flooding and beach erosion from Delaware Bay to Cape Cod.
The weather service emphasized that whiteout conditions could make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening. Strong winds combined with the weight of snow on tree limbs may down power lines, leading to sporadic outages. Residents are advised to prepare for prolonged disruptions as the storm is expected to persist into Monday.
Travel Chaos and Emergency Measures
Airlines have cancelled over 6,000 flights through Monday, according to FlightAware, with major hubs such as JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia, and Boston Logan experiencing the hardest hits. In response to the crisis, New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to stay indoors, declaring a full snow day for public schools on Monday with no remote learning. The city has mobilized additional snow-clearing equipment and plans to use geocoding to track critical areas like bus stops and crosswalks.
New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency, marking the first time all 21 counties in the state are under a simultaneous blizzard warning. Officials have advised residents to stock up on essentials, fill gas tanks, charge devices, and avoid travel. Many churches canceled services, and Atlantic City officials warned people to stay off streets, especially in flood-prone neighborhoods.
Historical Context and Ongoing Preparations
This blizzard warning is the first for New York City in nearly a decade, coming as the region was still recovering from last month's major snowstorm. The storm arrived Sunday morning near Washington DC, moving toward Philadelphia and New York City, and reaching Boston by evening. Authorities across the Northeast are expanding efforts used in previous storms to mitigate impacts, focusing on safety and infrastructure resilience.
