Live updates as nor’easter forces NYC, Tri-State Area travel bans ahead of blizzard conditions

Gov. Kathy Hochul provided details Sunday afternoon on travel bans that will go into effect in New York City, on Long Island, and in Westchester County starting at 9 p.m.

• New York City’s ban runs until 12 p.m. on Monday
• Long Island’s runs until 9 a.m. on Monday
• Westchester’s runs until 10 a.m. on Monday

“We want people off the roads. You should be doing this voluntarily, but we have the state police who’s going to enforce this, so be aware of that,” Hochul said, adding, “So that means wherever you are in this region, at 9 o’clock tonight, you’ll have to stay there.”

The nor’easter could bring major flooding overnight, with coastal flood warnings in effect from 9 p.m.-6 a.m. from the Jersey Shore up through Long Island and Connecticut. 

One foot to three and a half feet of inundation cannot be ruled out, with greater concern in the Back Bays, western Suffolk and northern Nassau. 

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency and announced a travel ban on the state’s major highways.

A commercial vehicle travel ban goes into effect at 5 p.m. The governor’s office said it’s not yet clear when it will be lifted, but that it was implemented in coordination with neighboring states. 

“We’re no stranger to snow in Connecticut, but I’m urging everyone to take this storm and the blizzard conditions it will bring seriously,” Lamont said. “During its height, we are going to experience intense winds that will cause whiteout conditions, severely limiting visibility and making motor vehicle travel very dangerous. Everyone statewide is strongly urged to avoid all unnecessary, non-essential travel. 

Emergency vehicles and essential services are not impacted by the travel ban. 

Due to the nor’easter, Newark Public Schools and the district’s central office will be closed on Monday, Superintendent Roger León announced on Sunday afternoon.

As Sunday’s storm continues to intensity, there’s now the possibility of thundersnow hitting the Tri-State Area.

Thundersnow is a rare phenomenon but one that has been known to happen during nor’easters. The heavy snow will muffle the sound — or thunderclap — so it can only be heard up to about three miles.

With such an occurrence typically comes an intense amount of snowfall. The First Alert Weather Team is currently monitoring the potential for snowfall rates of up to 4 inches per hour in areas hugging the coast, including all of Long Island and the Jersey Shore.

“Thundersnow is interesting and rare,” CBS News New York’s Vanessa Murdock said. “It’s going to be where we see the deepest purple on the radar, and that will likely happen overnight.”

The Winter Storm Severity Index currently has New York City, all of Long Island and much of New Jersey as the most impacted areas by the time the system moves out of the region on Monday afternoon.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said New Yorkers should not be fooled by the light snow and rain that’s been falling so far Sunday.

“The worst is yet to come. So do not take for granted that this is going to be it,” Hochul said. “It’s going to exceed all expectations.”

The governor warned the changeover to heavy snow and a severe winter storm will happen quickly. 

“Will transition very rapidly into heavier, wetter snow, which has the capability of downing power lines, which means people will be in the dark,” she said. “Long Island, New York City and Lower Hudson Valley are literally in the direct eye of the storm.”

The First Alert Weather Team forecasts the storm will significantly intensify around 7 p.m.

Long Island Rail Road service will be suspended at 1 a.m. on Monday due to the nor’easter, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Sunday afternoon.

The storm, which has been projected to bring blizzard conditions and up to 2 feet of snow to parts of Long Island and New York City, is expected to intensity Sunday evening. Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph are possible in the city and Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Also on Monday, Metro-North will operate on an hourly service schedule, with weekend schedules in place on the branch lines.

NYC subways are running on a modified schedule, while the Staten Island Railway will run on a weekend schedule tomorrow.

MTA buses are likely to see delays and cancellations as travel conditions worsen, the agency added. 

Further details can be found on the MTA’s website.

Where could this nor’easter rank in New York City history? It could end up being one of the 10 biggest snowstorms ever recorded. 

These are Central Park’s biggest snow totals since 1869:

1. 27.5 inches Jan. 22-24, 2016
2. 26.9 inches Feb. 11-12, 2006
3. 26.4 inches Dec. 26-27, 1947
4. 21.0 inches March 12-14 1888
5. 20.9 inches Feb. 25-26, 2010
6. 20.2 inches Jan. 7-8, 1996
7. 20.0 inches Dec. 26-27, 2010
8. 19.8 inches Feb. 16-17, 2003
9. 19.0 inches Jan. 26-27, 2011
10. 18.1 inches March 7-8, 1941

This storm has a great chance of taking over the #10 spot on the list. 

NJ Transit announced bus, light rail and Access Link services will be suspended at 6 p.m. Sunday and they will not resume until it is safe. 

Rail service changes are expected to be announced later this evening, the agency said. 

Further details can be found on NJTransit.com. 

The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced a temporary 35 mph speed limit on highways starting at 3 p.m.

Mayor Mamdani has declared a state of emergency, which includes a citywide travel ban, from 9 p.m. Sunday through noon Monday. 

Streets, highways and bridges will be shut down to all traffic, including cars, trucks, scooters and e-bikes, with specific exemptions for essential and emergency services, Mamdani said. 

“New York City has not faced a storm of this scale in the last decade,” he said. “We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all nonessential travel.” 

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a snow day Monday for New York City public schools. 

“The state requires us to conduct 180 days of education in a calendar year. However, we believe there are a unique set of extenuating circumstances for tomorrow’s education,” the mayor said. “We shared this with the state education commissioner this morning and she has granted us a waiver, for which we are incredible thankful.” 

“And to kids across New York City, you have a very serious mission if you choose to accept. Stay cozy,” he added. 

Libraries and other non-essential city services will also be closed. 

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romain issued a travel ban from 9 p.m. Sunday-9 a.m. Monday. 

Romaine said the ban does not apply to plow operators and other essential workers. 

The county corrected its earlier statement that incorrectly said the ban would last through 9 p.m. Monday. 

Rockland County, New York, is enacting a travel ban starting at 6 p.m. Sunday, ahead of the dangerous blizzard conditions. 

County Executive Ed Day said “all vehicles should be off the roads” by then and stay off until the storm clears. 

“This decisive action is necessary to protect lives and ensure our road crews can clear snow as quickly and safely as possible,” Day said. “With blizzard conditions expected, visibility will be extremely limited and travel will become dangerous very quickly. Keeping vehicles off the roads allows plows and emergency responders to operate without obstruction. We are asking every resident to comply so we can get through this storm safely.”

Emergency vehicles and certain essential personnel will still be allowed on the roads during the travel ban. 

Rockland County has a warming center available at the Dr. Robert L. Yeager Health Center in Pomona.

More than 1,000 flights have been wiped out Sunday at the New York City area’s three major airports. 

According to FlightAware, as of 11:20 a.m.:

Remember to check with your airline for updated flight status alerts.

Heavy and wet snow during the nor’easter is exactly the type that can lead to power outages because the weight may snap power lines. 

Utility companies like PSE&G in New Jersey said they called in additional staff to work around the clock, but the storm’s intensity could impact response times. 

“They cannot go up in the bucket trucks if the wind is above 39 miles per hour. So they’ll have to wait until some of the gusts subside before they’re able to go up and make some repairs,” said Frank Gaffney, director of reliability and security for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. 

If you lose power during the storm, expects say you should stay bundled up and trap in any heat by closing off unused rooms and placing towels under doors. 

Long Island is forecast to see some of the strongest parts of the nor’easter, and officials are preparing for just that. 

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said he would sign a state of emergency declaration Sunday morning, warning residents to take the storm seriously. 

“We’re going to see it start possibly as rain, possibly as frozen rain. But then it’s going to move very quicky to snow and we are going to get snow bands. And then we’re gonna get heavy winds, which would create blizzard conditions,” Romaine said. 

Officials have been urging Long Islanders to stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel so crews and plow and salt roadways, and so first responders can get to emergencies safely. 

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to hold a news conference at noon Sunday to update New Yorkers on the nor’easter and the city’s response. 

The mayor said yesterday a decision on whether NYC Public Schools will have in-person classes Monday would be made by noon today. Schools went remote during the last major snowstorm in January. 

You can watch the mayor’s remarks on CBS News New York. 

As Gov. Hochul noted, this is NYC’s first blizzard warning since 2017 and Long Island’s first since 2022. This nor’easter will be capable of producing heavy snowfall, strong winds, and coastal flooding.

Not only is this storm likely to be more impactful than the one that occurred in January, but it is also likely to bring the highest amount of the snow that New York City has seen in over five years, when 17.4″ fell in early February 2021.

These are the anticipated snow totals for parts of the region, as of Sunday morning:

• NYC: 12″-18″, 18″-24″ for southern portions of Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens
• Long Island: 18″-24″ for the South Shore, 12″-18″ for the North Shore
• Central Jersey and Jersey Shore: 12″–18″ inland, 18′-14″ along the coastline
• Northern New Jersey, Lower Hudson Valley, and Connecticut: 12″-18″
• Upper Hudson Valley and far Northwestern New Jersey: 12″-18″

Light to moderate snow started falling in the region Sunday morning, but it will intensify later today, especially tonight, and last through Monday afternoon.

The heaviest snow will occur between 7 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Monday, with rates of 2-3 inches per hour at times and wind gusts reaching 40-60 mph.

Blizzard conditions are likely during this window. 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said subway, bus and commuter rail service will continue for as long as it is safe, but with potential delays and schedule changes. Buses will be outfitted with chains and a focus will be on keeping uncovered subway tracks clear.

“Particularly the A train, the N, the B, and the Q, the 5 and the 7 line. These are some of the lines that are most exposed to accumulations of snow,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “That may impact on the time of travel,” he said. 

The Staten Island Ferry will operate hourly service from midnight-6 a.m. Monday, then every 30 minutes. 

NJ Transit said it could implement service suspensions on Sunday and Monday depending on the storm.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the decision on whether public schools will have in-person classes Monday will be made by noon Sunday.

He also cautioned conditions could remain very dangerous even after the storm passes tomorrow afternoon. 

“Combined with daytime temperatures slipping above freezing and overnight lows dropping to the low 20s, the snowfall will melt, then refreeze, resulting in dangerously icy sidewalks and streets,” he said. 

New York and New Jersey each declared a state of emergency, as governors Kathy Hochul and Mikie Sherrill urged people to avoid travel due to potentially life-threatening winter weather. 

“You need to hear this from me, someone who’s been through more blizzards than any governor in the history of the state of New York. This is one to take seriously,” Hochul said.