Blizzard brings US northeast to standstill as 54 million brace for severe storm

A powerful winter storm has paralysed large parts of the north-eastern United States, disrupting travel for millions and forcing widespread closures as heavy snow and fierce winds battered the region.

The National Weather Service issued warnings of a “major winter storm for the Northeast”, forecasting intense snowfall across the northern Mid-Atlantic and New England through Monday. Snowfall rates of up to three inches per hour were expected in some areas, with accumulations reaching as much as two feet, creating what forecasters described as “nearly impossible travel conditions”.

Blizzard warnings were posted across a broad swathe of the region, with meteorologists in New York warning the system could prove historic in scale.

Travel bans and school closures

In New York City, a travel ban came into force from 9pm on Sunday until midday on Monday. Mayor Zoharan Mamdani said the city had not experienced a storm of comparable magnitude in the past decade and urged residents to avoid non-essential journeys. Public schools were closed on Monday, marking the city’s first traditional “snow day” in several years.

Neighbouring New Jersey imposed similar travel restrictions, while Rhode Island officials urged residents to remain off the roads as conditions deteriorated. Several states across the region declared states of emergency in anticipation of worsening weather.

Thousands of flights cancelled

Air travel was severely affected. According to reports in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, thousands of domestic and international flights were cancelled over Sunday and Monday, with airports in New York and Boston among the hardest hit.

At LaGuardia and John F Kennedy International Airport, nearly half of scheduled departures were called off at the height of the disruption.

Boston and eastern Massachusetts were forecast to bear the brunt of the storm, with up to two feet of snow and wind gusts reaching 75mph. Local weather officials warned of a potentially destructive event.

Further south, Washington, DC was expected to receive several inches of heavy, wet snow. Federal offices announced delayed openings, and many schools in the capital region either closed or postponed classes.

Coastal flooding risk

Forecasters also cautioned that strong onshore winds could lead to significant coastal flooding from Delaware up to Cape Cod. There were warnings that rising waters could inundate roads and cause structural damage in vulnerable communities.

In total, an estimated 54 million people lay in the path of winter storm or blizzard warnings stretching from the central Appalachians to coastal Maine.

The system is forecast to move away from northern New England by Tuesday morning, though officials warned that hazardous travel and clean-up operations could continue well beyond the storm’s departure.

With IANS inputs