Transportation networks across the US Northeast collapsed under the weight of a massive blizzard, affecting more than 54 million residents. Snow emergencies, flight groundings, and closures have gripped the region from Washington D.C. to Boston.
National Weather Service forecasters predict heavy snow through Monday across the northern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with 2-3 inches possible hourly and up to 24 inches total. Blizzard warnings signal extreme dangers, making most travel futile.
New York City officials branded it a ‘potentially historic blizzard,’ enforcing a strict travel ban from Sunday 9 p.m. to Monday afternoon. The mayor emphasized: ‘This scale of storm is unprecedented in the last ten years—stay home.’ Monday brings school closures, a traditional snow day unseen since 2019.
New Jersey’s ban started at 9 p.m., Rhode Island at 7 p.m., with emergency declarations sweeping states in the storm’s path.
Airports became epicenters of disruption: nearly 8,000 cancellations for Sunday-Monday, dominated by New York and Boston routes. LaGuardia and JFK saw half their schedules wiped out, totaling over 3,500 flights by midday Sunday.
Eastern Massachusetts, including Boston, eyes two feet of snow and 75 mph winds, labeled ‘potentially crippling.’ Washington D.C. prepares for inches of heavy, wet snow, delaying government work and shuttering schools.
Vigilance is urged for coastal flooding from Delaware to Cape Cod, where fierce winds could cause structural harm and inundate roads. The storm targets 54 million from Central Appalachians to Maine.
By Tuesday morning, it should clear northern New England, allowing gradual restoration amid a snowy aftermath.