New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken the decision to shut down the city’s entire transportation system except for emergency travel in anticipation of a significant snowstorm heading towards the northeastern United States. The shutdown, which began at 9:00 pm on Sunday and continued until noon the following day, entails a state of emergency that closes all streets, highways, and bridges to all types of traffic, including cars, trucks, scooters, and E-bikes, as stated by Mamdani during a press briefing.
Essential workers and individuals with emergency travel needs in New York City are exempted from the ban, as confirmed by Mayor Mamdani, considering the city’s population of over eight million people. Urging New Yorkers to refrain from non-essential travel, the mayor emphasized that the city has not encountered a storm of this magnitude in the past decade.
The rapidly intensifying storm poses a threat to the US East Coast, with forecasts indicating the possibility of over a foot of snow starting from Sunday. Blizzard warnings have been issued for New York and multiple states, with meteorologists cautioning about heavy snowfall and strong winds affecting major cities along the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor, including Boston, Philadelphia, and even Washington further south.
The National Weather Service (NWS) headquarters stated that snowfall rates exceeding an inch per hour are expected in certain areas along the East Coast, leading to substantial snow accumulation that could severely disrupt travel and result in power outages.
The previous mega-storm that swept through the eastern US in late January caused over 100 deaths nationwide and inflicted heavy snow and ice on several cities. Concurrently, FlightAware data revealed that more than 5,000 flights had been canceled in the wake of the impending storm.
