A massive, wind-whipped blizzard slammed into the US Northeast on Monday, creating havoc for more than 60 million people and forcing New York City to shut down on a scale not seen since Superstorm Sandy devastated the region in 2012.
The potentially historic storm which could affect 20 percent of the US population, caused at least six states up and down the East Coast to declare emergencies, forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, closed major mass transit hubs and schools.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the “life-threatening blizzard” could dump a “crippling snowfall” of as much as 3 feet (90 cm) on the region.
Coastal flood warnings were issued, with tides in the New York metro area expected to be as much 3 feet higher than normal early Tuesday morning.
States of emergency were declared in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire as people were urged to stay home with transit systems, including the New York City subway, suspending services and roadways closed amid white-out conditions.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a travel ban for all but emergency vehicles on every road in 13 counties in southern New York state, including New York City, suburban Westchester and Long Island, with the threat of a $300 fine for violators.
His peers in Connecticut and Massachusetts imposed similar bans on driving.
SCHOOLS CLOSED
The blizzard knocked out entertainment events including Monday night Broadway performances and home games for the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets and shut New York City`s zoos, where snow leopards, puffins and polar bears frolicked in privacy.
The United Nations headquarters gave itself a day off on Tuesday. East Coast schools, including New York City with the nation`s largest public school system serving 1 million students, and universities, including Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, cancelled classes for Tuesday.
“The beauty of this snowstorm is I have midterms this week,” said Oliver Stoller, 13, after his school in Maplewood, New Jersey, was cancelled for Tuesday and he spent Monday night turning his neighbourhood sidewalk into a sledding path.