The mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, prohibited the circulation of vehicles in the city from 9 p.m. local time on Sunday (the 22nd) until noon on Monday (the 23rd) in advance of a heavy snowstorm. In a post on social media, Mamdani stated that “this snowstorm is serious” and urged residents to stay at home. He noted that it is the “first snow day off in seven years” in the city.
The U.S. National Weather Service forecasts accumulations of between 45 and 60 centimeters of snow in New York, with a possibility of 70 centimeters in some areas, winds up to 112 kilometers per hour, and risks of blackouts and coastal flooding. Municipal public schools will not be in session on Monday.
Public transportation suspended
The state governor, Kathy Hochul, declared a state of emergency and activated 100 members of the National Guard. In New Jersey, the local government suspended all state public transportation and declared an emergency. Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania adopted similar measures.
At the airports JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, airlines such as Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines suspended operations. According to the FlightAware monitoring platform, more than 3,500 flights were canceled over Sunday. American Airlines said it expects to resume services only on Tuesday (24).
In total, according to the National Weather Service, about 54 million people are under snowstorm or winter storm alerts in the northeastern United States.
