Snow blankets parts of US Northeast, thousands of flights cancelled
Rajesh Kumar Singh And Rick McKay
A powerful snowstorm dumped more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of snow on parts of the U.S. Northeast, including New York City, on Monday, bringing travel to a near standstill for millions of residents as hazardous conditions closed roads, shut down train service and forced the cancellation of nearly 5,700 flights.
Thousands of homes and businesses were left without power, and officials, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, ordered residents to stay off the roads so emergency crews could clear the streets. Many schools across the region were closed.
“I urge every New Yorker to please stay home,” Mamdani said.
More than 15 inches (38 centimeters) of snow had fallen in New York City’s Central Park as of 8 a.m. Monday, and more than 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 centimeters) were expected before the storm eased in the afternoon, said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
Winds can blow snowdrifts several meters high.
“It’s a pretty big storm and definitely a blizzard,” Oravec said, with winds of 40 mph to 60 mph (64 km/h to 96 km/h) from Delaware to New York City to Boston.
“It’ll probably take a week to dig.”
Boston has received about 6 inches of snow so far, but Delaware and much of Southern New England have already received 12 to 18 inches of snow, and Philadelphia has already received a foot of snow.
The storm is expected to taper off in New York City by Monday afternoon, but Boston and upper New England will see snow through Monday night.
Because of the high winds, the blizzard meets the criteria for a blizzard: Snowstorms have winds of 35 mph (56 km/h) or higher, lasting three hours or longer, Oravec said. Eastern Long Island and Stony Brook Village on Nantucket Island were among the highest reported winds, with gusts of up to 60 mph.
Airlines had canceled more than 5,700 flights and delayed another 900 as of Monday morning, according to tracking site FlightAware.com. More than 1,600 flights had already been canceled on Tuesday, according to the site.
Most of the cancellations and delays occurred in the Northeast U.S., including New York’s John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports, Boston Logan Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was deploying 100 National Guard members to help Long Island, New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley, where heavy snow and coastal winds are expected to bear the brunt.
The storm forced the closure of the UN headquarters complex in Manhattan on Monday.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, parts of the Northeast could see up to a foot of snow and wind gusts could reach 70 miles (112 km) per hour, increasing the risk of downed trees and power outages.
In an update Sunday, the agency said that despite ongoing funding cuts, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster response efforts continue uninterrupted, including staffing.
While life safety and property protection remain top priorities, we provide travel, emergency operations and critical assistance services to people affected by active disasters.
Last week, Reuters reported that the Trump administration had ordered FEMA to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-hit areas across the country while DHS was closed.
Reuters
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