Millions of Americans in the northeast corridor will be impacted by a crippling, late-winter snowstorm that is expected to dump up to two feet of snow in some areas, delivered by 70-mile-per-hour winds.
The storm is expected to hit late Sunday and impact 50 million people, many in major cities.
Authorities have cautioned travel could become “dangerous, if not impossible,” the Daily Mail reported, and power outages are also likely, courtesy of downed tree limbs impacted by the weight of the snow and high wind speeds.
More than 7,000 flights have already been canceled through Monday, Fox Weather reported, with several airlines allowing travelers to “reschedule flights without charge.”
That number is expected to increase as the nor’easter slams the East Coast in a storm that Fox Weather predicts could be “historic.”
“Residents in Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and Pennsylvania have been warned to brace for arctic conditions.” the Daily Mail explained.
The City of New York is prepping for its first blizzard since 2017, with a storm warning issued for the city from noon Sunday.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Owen Shieh told the Wall Street Journal that New York had “lucked out” by being spared an epic blizzard for nearly a decade.
“There hasn’t been a blizzard warning in New York since March 2017, according to Owen Shieh, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. ‘We kind of lucked out in the last decade,’ he said,” the Journal reported.
High winds create “white outs” that push the snow accumulation into high drifts. During the March 2017 blizzard, the Big Apple saw more than a foot of snow accumulation and wind gusts up to 60mph.
“You don’t want to be outside,” Shieh said. “You won’t be able to see in front of you.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) declared a state of emergency for the Big Apple, Long Island, and portions of the Hudson Valley.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) warned New Yorkers, “If you can stay home, stay home.”
Reportedly, 2,200 snowplows will be deployed, and the new mayor is recruiting volunteers to help city crews clear snow from the streets and earn $19.14 an hour.
As Breitbart News reported earlier this month, the mayor’s effort comes after residents criticized the city’s response to a snowstorm in late January that left piles of snow and uncollected garbage clogging New York neighborhoods.
As the storm moves up the coast, officials warn that travel to and from Boston Logan International Airport may be possible on Sunday but will quickly deteriorate across New England.
“Blizzard conditions will be highly possible across southeast Massachusetts and Rhode Island,” Fox Weather reported. “While it remains uncertain if Boston will see official blizzard conditions, the possibility certainly exists and people should be prepared for it.”
Philadelphia is not expected to be spared. Its forecast expects 18 to 24 inches of snow through Monday, with wind gusts between 40-50 mph, also making for dangerous conditions.
Philadelphia and Washington, DC, are forecast to be hit before the storm reaches New York, with snowfall beginning as early as 7:00 a.m. Sunday.
According to meteorologists, for a storm to be called a “blizzard” requires sustained wind or gusts of at least 35 mph and blowing snow that reduces visibility to under a quarter mile, and those conditions have to continue for at least three consecutive hours.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
