Powerful winter storm slams US north-east as NYC issues travel ban
A historic winter storm has begun lashing the north-east US, causing tens of thousands of properties to lose power and prompting a travel ban in New York City.
Some 59 million people are under weather warnings, and states of emergency have been declared across the region. Several states have instituted travel restrictions or bans due to the blizzard, while thousands of flights have been cancelled.
Forecasters say much of the US north-east and Canada's maritime provinces will be affected from Sunday evening into Monday.
It's expected to be the most powerful nor'easter storm in nearly a decade for much of the region, bringing snow, fierce winds and coastal flooding.
Much of the north-east has already been blanketed in several inches of snow, with 10 inches (25cm) recorded in Manorville, New York, and Howell, New Jersey, as of midnight local time (05:00 GMT on Monday).
The US National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that the storm will bring an estimated 2-3 inches per hour, and that snowfall could reach 1-2ft (30-60cm) in places, resulting in "nearly impossible" travel conditions that were "extremely treacherous".
"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," NWS meteorologist Cody Snell told the BBC's US partner CBS News.
Nearly 90,000 properties were without power in New Jersey alone, with tens of thousands more affected in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia as of 03:00 local time (08:00 GMT), according to tracker PowerOutage.
Meanwhile, around 5,500 US flights were cancelled on Sunday and hundreds of others were delayed, according to monitor FlightAware. Thousands more have already been cancelled on Monday, with New York's John F Kennedy and LaGuardia airports worst affected.
A full travel ban is in place in New York City from Sunday evening till noon local time on Monday as the city is expected to be hit with 18-24 inches of snow and temperatures as low as -6C (20F).
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said all streets, highways and bridges would be shut to traffic - apart from for emergencies - while schools would also be closed. The most severe snowfall of up to 28 inches (70cm) was expected overnight into Monday, he said.
It's the first time in nine years that New York City has been under a blizzard warning and the second major snowstorm of Mamdani's new administration, after 19 people died during a three-week cold snap in January.
"It's gonna be difficult for most New Yorkers to get around because we still have to go to work," Brooklyn resident Brandon Smith told news agency AFP.
"It's unfortunate [roads] are suspended as jobs are not gonna stop calling us in."
All Broadway shows were cancelled on Sunday evening due to the nor'easter, while the New York Racing Association cancelled Sunday's eight horse races at the Aqueduct Racetrack.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the whole state ahead of the storm's arrival and put 100 members of the National Guard on ready alert.
"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."
Across the state, the highest wind gusts - up to 65-70mph (104-112km/h) - are expected along the coast, with officials warning of downed tree limbs and power outages.
ReutersMassachusetts, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island all declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm. The city of Boston, Massachusetts, closed its schools.
In Rhode Island, Governor Dan McKee issued a travel ban across the state and enabled the activation of the National Guard as needed. He also closed state government offices on Monday.
"We're asking Rhode Islanders to take this storm seriously and stay home," he said. "This is an all-hands-on-deck response."
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill also halted services on the state's transport network from Sunday evening, describing the weather front as potentially "the worst storm we have seen since 1996".
In Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont signed an emergency order halting all commercial vehicles from travelling on highways across the state until further notice.
ReutersPennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro signed a disaster declaration ahead of the storm to provide state agencies with additional resources.
Although the nation's capital is not expected to be as severely impacted, school districts near Washington DC have announced closures. Federal government offices have delayed the start of the work day and said workers could take unscheduled leave or work remotely due to the weather.
In Canada, Nova Scotia's east coast is expected to be the worst hit, with many parts currently under an amber weather warning from Monday morning - suggesting widespread outages, roof damage and falling debris are possible - until early on Tuesday.