The Monday morning commute won’t be messy in New York City. It will be nonexistent.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency and a travel ban during a press conference on Sunday as a giant winter storm bore down on much of the Northeast. Rhode Island, Boston, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Connecticut have also declared states of emergency, putting in place commercial vehicle bans and travel restrictions.
The National Weather Service said to expect blizzard conditions and up to 20 inches of snow over the next 24 hours. Parts of New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts could get up to 25 inches.
“The state of emergency closes the streets, highways, and bridges of New York City for all traffic,” Mamdani said. The travel ban begins at 9 p.m. Sunday and lasts until 12 p.m. on Monday. DoorDash, notably, also said it was suspending deliveries on Sunday night.
US airlines, meanwhile, are canceling and delaying thousands of flights. As of Sunday night, airlines had canceled over 3,000 flights and delayed over 22,000, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
New York City’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports have the highest number of cancellations, followed by Newark Liberty International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Anyone hoping to catch a flight in the region on Monday can also expect major disruptions, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. At LaGuardia Airport, for example, 82% of flights scheduled for Monday have been canceled.
Adding to what will likely be a chaotic 48 hours for travelers, the Department of Homeland Security announced Saturday night that it was suspending TSA PreCheck and Global Entry due to the partial government shutdown.
Despite the announcement, however, TSA Precheck and Global Entry lanes remained open at major airports on Sunday. In a statement, the Transportation Security Administration said it is evaluating the situation “case-by-case.”
“At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public,” a spokesperson said. “As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly.”
The federal government entered a partial shutdown earlier this month, delaying funding for some agencies, like DHS. TSA agents are essential workers, so they’re still working — for now. During the full government shutdown earlier this year, TSA agents and air traffic controllers went 43 days without a paycheck.
Rail disruptions, school closures
All rail service will be suspended by 9 p.m. as the storm intensifies, NJ Transit said on Sunday.
Some trains would stop earlier, and no new rail trips would start after 9 p.m. from their origin points, it added.
NJ Transit will monitor conditions overnight into Monday to decide when it’s safe to resume service, it said.
Several school districts, including those in New York City and Boston, announced that schools will be closed tomorrow.
Outside New York City, states like Pennsylvania and Massachusetts have declared disaster emergencies.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said the declaration “will allow Philadelphia to more effectively fight this large and dangerous storm as it rolls in.”
Her office said the move frees up additional resources to respond to the storm’s impact, with about 1,000 personnel and more than 800 pieces of equipment — including snowplows, salt spreaders, and excavators — set to be deployed across the city.
Power outages are increasing across New Jersey, with more than 15,000 customers without electricity as of 9 p.m. ET, according to PowerOutage.com.
The governors of New York and Massachusetts have also activated National Guard troops to assist residents and support emergency response efforts as blizzard conditions worsen.
