A violent snowstorm is hitting the northeastern United States and has caused several states to declare a state of emergency. A number of flights were canceled. All developments in the ticker.
Hundreds of thousands in the US without power
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2:46 p.m.: A severe winter storm has the northeastern United States firmly in its grip, bringing widespread blizzard conditions. Almost 400,000 customers were affected by power outages in the northeast on Monday morning (local time), data from the Poweroutage.us portal showed. More than 40 million people were under blizzard warnings, US broadcaster CNN reported. A so-called blizzard is a strong snowstorm with wind speeds of more than 55 kilometers per hour and severely limited visibility, which can temporarily paralyze public life.
More than 30 centimeters of snow has already fallen in the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. More than 38 centimeters were measured in New York’s Central Park by morning – the most in a single storm in more than five years, CNN reported. Strong winds and heavy, wet snow toppled trees, damaged power lines and caused localized flooding along the Massachusetts coast.
Several flights to the US East Coast have been canceled
11:11 a.m.: Due to the blizzard in the eastern United States, a number of flight connections have been canceled. The Lufthansa Group has canceled all flights of its companies to New York and Boston this Monday, as a spokesman in Frankfurt confirmed. Return flights could also not take place. There were initially no cancellations for Tuesday. At Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt, flights from other companies such as Condor, Singapore Airlines and United were also canceled. In addition to the core company, the Lufthansa Group also includes Swiss, Austrian, Ita and Brussels Airlines.
Blizzard alert in the northeast of the USA – driving ban in New York
Blizzard warnings and driving bans were issued in large parts of the region. Severe weather warnings apply to around 35 million residents, as the US broadcaster CNN reported. According to meteorologists’ forecasts, more than 50 centimeters of fresh snow could fall in some areas.
A blizzard is a strong snowstorm that can temporarily paralyze public life in a region with wind speeds of more than 55 kilometers per hour and visibility of less than 400 meters.
Forced break for theater – schools close
The mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, took drastic measures in view of the extreme weather. From Sunday evening (local time) to Monday lunchtime, streets, highways and bridges in the largest city in the USA will be closed to traffic. The driving ban applies to cars, trucks, scooters and e-bikes, said Mamdani. Only emergency services are exempt from this.
Theater performances on New York’s Broadway have been canceled. Schools, municipal libraries and other facilities should remain closed on Monday. Mamdani appealed to people not to leave their houses and apartments. At the same time, the authorities referred to reception centers in the city districts where citizens could seek refuge and warm up. A violent winter storm in January left 18 people dead on the streets of New York.
“Incredibly dangerous” situation in New Jersey
A blizzard warning was also in effect in the neighboring state of New Jersey. Gov. Mikie Sherrill urged residents to stock up on supplies and not take to the streets during the storm. A traffic ban also came into force in New Jersey in the evening. The combination of strong squalls and large amounts of snow makes driving “incredibly dangerous,” Sherrill said.
More than 8,000 flights were canceled in the affected region, US media reported, citing the Internet portal “Flightaware”, which tracks flights in US airspace. The situation at the airports in the greater New York area, Boston and Philadelphia is particularly critical.
Tumbling cold records
Just at the beginning of February, a severe winter storm brought snow, hurricane-force winds, storm surges and dangerous subzero temperatures to the southeastern United States. In the state of North Carolina, local snowfall was unprecedented since records began around 150 years ago. In Florida, cold records were broken for the month of February: the usually pleasantly warm temperatures sometimes dropped below freezing point. Such values were last measured there at the end of the 1980s.
By the end of January, extreme cold and heavy snow had largely brought life to a standstill in many parts of the United States. A winter storm hit the South, Midwest and East Coast of the United States. According to media reports, at least 85 people were killed in several states.
