A blockbuster blizzard has dumped a record-breaking more than 30 inches of snow across parts of the Northeast as thousands of flights were canceled.
The major nor’easter intensified into a bomb cyclone on Monday, bringing powerful winds and even more snow.
“This is the first blizzard for much of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coasts in about four years,” Tyler Roys, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, said.
The blizzard has disrupted travel plans for thousands, and canceled school for many — including students in New York City, which saw 19.7 inches in Central Park by 1 p.m. ET Monday.
The last time the Big Apple was hit with such a strong blizzard was in February 2017, but even then, the city only saw 9.4 inches of snow, according to AccuWeather.
More than 5,700 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled Monday and another roughly 3,800 were delayed, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
About a dozen airports were still closed Monday night, including Atlantic City International and Martha's Vineyard, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Much of the East Coast was buried in snow by Monday afternoon, with snowfall totals topping 30 inches in some areas.
Providence hit a record of 37.9 inches, CNN reported. Whitman, Massachusetts, got hit with 33.7 inches and Central Islip, New York, saw 31 inches.
Philadelphia already had more than 13 inches of snow by Monday morning, the most from a single storm in 10 years, according to CNN.
More than 600,000 customers on the East Coast were left without power due to the storm Monday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.US. That number went down to about 449,600 by Monday night.
Officials in New York and New Jersey urged residents to stay home as the storm began Sunday evening, with transit agencies issuing modified schedules and bracing for weather-related delays.
A travel ban was in place for New York City until noon Monday, though Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned residents to “stay safe and stay indoors as much as possible” as the snow was expected to continue into the evening.
Mamdani also announced that the city was hiring members of the public to shovel snow starting at $30 an hour. The storm comes as the massive piles of leftover snow from last month’s storms had finally melted away.
Ahead of the snowstorm, Mamdani declared a state of emergency and shuttered schools across the metropolitan area.
In a heartwarming video, the mayor personally called one youngster to tell them that they had a day off from school.
“Oh my god, it’s the mayor,” a student named Victoria said as she picked up the phone.
“So my only ask of you is that you just remain safe,” Mamdani said. “Stay indoors during the height of the storm. Once that has passed, feel free to go out and sled.”
While the children of New York City were treated to a traditional snow day Monday, in-person class was set to be held Tuesday, Mamdani said.
Boston also canceled public school classes Monday, and The Boston Globe said Tuesday’s newspaper will not be delivered — a first in more than 150 years.
While blizzard conditions have calmed, the National Weather Service warned of another storm that could bring more snow to the Northeast later this week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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