A powerful nor’easter has struck the north-eastern United States, issuing warnings to 59 million people amid heavy snow, fierce winds, and coastal flooding. Power outages have hit over 150,000 homes, while New York City enforces a full travel ban for non-emergency vehicles.
States including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania have declared emergencies, imposing travel curbs and cancelling thousands of flights. The storm, intensifying from Sunday evening to Monday, marks the strongest in nearly a decade for the region.
By midnight local time, 10 inches of snow blanketed areas like Manorville, New York, and Howell, New Jersey. Forecasters predict 2-3 inches per hour, totalling up to 2 feet and creating nearly impossible travel conditions that remain extremely treacherous.
Blizzard warnings cover 40 million, with 19 million more under winter storm alerts from North Carolina to Maine. “While we do get plenty of these nor’easters that produce heavy snow and strong impacts, it’s been several years since we saw one of this magnitude across this large of a region in this very populated part of the country,” said NWS meteorologist Cody Snell to CBS News.
New Jersey reports 60,000 outages alone, alongside widespread blackouts elsewhere. Around 5,500 flights were scrapped Sunday, hitting New York, Philadelphia, and Boston hardest. New York City faces 18-24 inches and temperatures near 20°F, its first blizzard warning in nine years.
The travel ban lasts from 21:00 Sunday to 12:00 Monday, closing schools and roads. Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned of up to 28 inches overnight after declaring emergency status, following January’s deadly cold snap. Governor Kathy Hochul activated 100 National Guard troops statewide. “This will be something the likes of which we’ve not seen in years,” she said.
“People will be in the dark. Long Island and New York City and lower Hudson are literally in the direct eye of the storm.”
Rhode Island’s Dan McKee imposed a statewide ban and closed offices. “We’re asking Rhode Islanders to take this storm seriously and stay home,” he said. “This is an all-hands-on-deck response. Our state agencies have the resources and manpower they need to respond and keep Rhode Islanders safe.”
New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill called it potentially “the worst storm we have seen since 1996.”