In the United States, millions of people were stuck at home on Monday (local time) after road travel bans, and a blizzard warning was issued as a fierce winter storm slammed the region with high winds and heavy snow.
According to the NBC New York report, the storm affected New York City and the broader tri-state region. Blizzard warnings extended from Maryland to Maine, stirring governors in eight states and major cities to declare states of emergency. Over two feet of snow accumulated in some areas as of Monday morning, the report added.
Non-essential travel ban imposed in New Jersey, New York City
According to the report, bans on non-essential travel were also announced for several states, including New Jersey, New York City, and several other neighboring areas.
In New Jersey, a mandatory travel ban restriction, which was announced at 9 pm (local time) on 22 February, was later extended till 23 February noon (local time). In a post on
Maps show snow totals
Snow was falling at a rate of 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 centimeters) per hour early Monday from New York through Massachusetts, with some areas accumulating more than a foot (30 centimeters) since Sunday. The storm also brought wind gusts exceeding 30 mph (48 kph) and significantly reduced visibility.
See the map here:
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, more than 5,000 flights to and from the United States were canceled on Monday, with the majority of disruptions occurring in New York, New Jersey, and Boston.
In Long Island’s East Islip, over 26 inches of snow fell, while several nearby areas saw similarly high totals. Snow total refers to the amount of snow that has fallen or is likely to fall in a specific area, and is usually measured in inches or centimeters.
Flights canceled
CBS The report suggests that thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed in the region due to the winter storm, with major airlines issuing a waiver that allowed passengers to rebook without incurring additional costs.
Over the weekend, Delta announced that it had canceled flights for 22 February and 23 February at New York’s LaGuardia and JFK airports and Boston. Whereas American Airlines said that teams are working around the clock to resume operations at affected airports by Tuesday (local time), provided that conditions enable the carriers to do so safely.
Thousands left without power
The New York Times reported that on Monday morning, thousands of residents in some of New York City’s and Long Island’s most remote areas were without power.
In Queens’ coastal neighborhoods, including the Rockaways and Breezy Point, more than 5,500 customers experienced outages, while parts of eastern Long Island, such as East Hampton and Montauk, saw at least 4,200 people lose electricity.
Public transit came to a standstill in some areas, and DoorDash paused deliveries in New York City overnight, AP reported.
Storm-related power outages left more than 500,000 customers without electricity along the East Coast early Monday, including over 212,000 in Massachusetts and 128,000 in New Jersey, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide.
About 10,000 customers on suburban Long Island were also affected Monday morning. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said utility crews were working to restore power as quickly as possible, though wind gusts of 50 mph (80 kph) or higher could slow recovery efforts, AP reported.
(With inputs from agencies)
