An unrelenting blizzard tore through the northeastern United States, halting all travel and blanketing cities in feet of snow. Over 50 million people grapple with shutdowns, from grounded flights to closed schools, as the storm rages from D.C. to Boston.
Experts at the National Weather Service warn of a ‘major winter storm,’ delivering rapid snow accumulation—2-3 inches per hour—through Monday. Totals could reach two feet, crippling mobility region-wide.
Blizzard alerts dominate headlines, with New York City deeming it ‘potentially historic.’ A sweeping travel ban from 9 p.m. Sunday to Monday afternoon aims to save lives. ‘We haven’t seen anything like this in a decade,’ the mayor cautioned, announcing school closures for a rare snow day.
Similar restrictions hit New Jersey at 9 p.m. and Rhode Island post-7 p.m., alongside state emergencies.
The skies cleared of planes, as 8,000 flights fell victim, especially from New York and Boston. Over 3,500 cancellations struck LaGuardia and JFK by Sunday afternoon.
Boston forecasts two feet and hurricane-force gusts up to 75 mph, branded a ‘historic crippler.’ D.C. readies for wet snow, pushing back federal starts and school openings.
Coastal zones from Delaware to Cape Cod face battering winds fueling destructive floods. Some 54 million in the storm’s swath, from Appalachians to Maine, remain on high alert.
The system departs northern New England by Tuesday, but recovery from this paralyzing event will linger.