Maps show winter storm forecast to bring snow, blizzard conditions to East Coast

Thirty-five million people are under blizzard warnings as a winter storm is expected to hit the East Coast with heavy snow and strong winds.

Maps show blizzard warnings for New York City, New Jersey and coastal communities along the East Coast, as a late winter storm expected to arrive Sunday threatened to spoil the start of a new week.

“Although we have a lot of these northeast winds that are producing heavy snow and impacts, it’s been several years since we’ve seen one of this magnitude over such a large region in this very populated part of the country,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist with the service’s Weather Prediction Center.

Maps show snow forecasts and blizzard warnings

New York City could be particularly hard hit, as this is the first time in nine years that a blizzard warning has been issued for the Big Apple. Meteorologists are forecasting 12 to 18 inches of snow accumulation across the metro area.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani exhorted New Yorkers should stay indoors and off the roads for the duration of the storm. This is the second major snowstorm of his administration for the new mayor. During the previous storm, 19 people deceased in extremely cold weather that lasted more than three weeks.

New York City loaded more than 700 salt spreaders and converted more than 2,000 garbage trucks into snow plows. Mamdani also proposed hiring residents to clear the sidewalks.

“You too can become an emergency snow shoveler,” Mamdani said at a news conference Saturday.

Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York declared state of emergency Saturday before the Northeast and activated about 100 members of the National Guard.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also declared a state of emergency starting midday Sunday, saying he expects “severe blizzard conditions across our state.”

“So I urge you to plan to stay off the roads Sunday through Monday,” Sherill said at a news conference Saturday.

The weather service said 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in many areas as it issued blizzard warnings for New York City, Long Island, southern Connecticut and coastal communities in New Jersey and Delaware. Snowfall totals of more than 6 to 18 inches are possible in the Northeast. Lighter snowfall is expected in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Flooding was also possible in parts of New York and New Jersey, the weather service said.

The National Weather Service also issued a blizzard warning for parts of southern New England – the first in four years. CBS Boston said the storm is expected to hit the city and surrounding areas Sunday night into Monday afternoon.

CBS News meteorologist Andrew Kozak said several major Northeast cities under blizzard warnings Sunday, including New York and Boston, “will have a combination of snow-pushing wind and reduced visibilities that will be very dangerous over the next 24 to 48 hours.”

Kozak predicted conditions would deteriorate beginning Sunday afternoon and continuing through Sunday evening.

“Sunday afternoon, colder air comes in, snow starts to accumulate, and very, very quickly,” Kozak said.

The storm could arrive quietly on Sunday with precipitation in places before getting worse, with the heaviest snowfall expected Sunday evening. Snowfall rates of up to 1 to 2 inches per hour are expected by Sunday evening, with higher rates of more than 2 inches per hour possible.

The weather service warned that the storm, with steady winds of 25 to 35 mph, would “make travel dangerous if not impossible. Downed tree branches and power outages are possible due to snow load and strong winds.” The National Weather Service predicted difficult travel conditions throughout the region.

On Saturday, officials in Atlantic City, New Jersey, urged residents and casino visitors to stay off the streets during the storm, especially in low-lying neighborhoods prone to flooding.

“I could go on and on with probably a good 20 streets where we know we’re going to have water and there’s going to be snow on top of that,” said Scott Evans, the city’s fire chief and emergency management coordinator. “So you won’t be able to see it until it’s too late, so stay home.”

The storm was approaching just as the icy remnants of a snowstorm that had hit the area a few weeks earlier were finally melting.

Airlines cancel flights in the region

Delta announced Saturday that it had canceled its Sunday and Monday flights to New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK and Boston. Customers heading to East Coast airports have flexible options for rebooking.

According to FlightAware flight tracker, more than 2,700 flights were canceled on Sunday, with the majority scheduled to arrive or depart from the New York metropolitan area. Delta canceled 303 flights, while JetBlue canceled 426 flights and American Airlines canceled 333 flights, according to FlightAware.

As of Monday, more than 3,000 flights were canceled, according to FlightAware, with JetBlue canceling 687 flights, Delta canceling 443 flights and American canceling 521 flights, mostly at New York and Boston airports.

In a statement provided to CBS News Saturday evening, JetBlue said it had canceled a total of approximately 1,200 flights scheduled between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday, with more cancellations expected.

“The safety of our customers and crew members is our first priority, and we will continue to monitor the storm to determine whether additional operational adjustments will be necessary,” JetBlue said.