UNITED STATES - More than 40 million people are under blizzard warnings as a powerful winter storm barrels up the East Coast, with snowfall totals expected to reach up to 2 feet in parts of the Northeast, according to CBS News. From the looks of it, this one is rewriting the winter playbook for several major cities.
From Maryland to Maine, governors have declared states of emergency, travel bans are in place across New York City and New Jersey, and visibility in some areas has dropped to near zero. The National Weather Service says blizzard conditions require sustained winds of 35 mph or greater with visibility reduced to a quarter mile for at least three hours, and that box is being checked in multiple metros.
New York City alone has already seen 15 to 18 inches in some neighborhoods, and it’s still coming down. It’s the first blizzard warning there in nine years. Officials have deployed more than 700 salt spreaders and converted over 2,000 sanitation trucks into plows. Similar preparations are underway in Massachusetts, where up to 2 feet is forecast for Boston and surrounding communities.
Wind gusts between 40 and 70 mph are expected at times, creating drifting snow and potential whiteout conditions along major corridors. More than 300,000 homes and businesses were without power early Monday, primarily in New Jersey and Delaware, and additional outages are possible as heavy snow weighs down lines and tree limbs.
Air travel has taken a major hit. Thousands of flights have been canceled across the Northeast, with ripple effects stretching well beyond the region. Airlines are issuing waivers, but operational recovery could take days depending on runway conditions and equipment repositioning.
Officials across the region are urging residents to stay off roads and avoid unnecessary movement. In Atlantic City, emergency management warned that snow-covered flooding in low-lying areas could create hidden hazards. The heaviest bands are expected to taper off later Monday into Tuesday, but cleanup and recovery efforts will extend that window.
For continued updates on how weather events like this impact the broader supply chain and fresh movement across the country, check ANUK.
