New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered a city-wide lockdown from Sunday to Monday as a winter blizzard is expected to affect 40 million people on the East Coast of the United States.
Mamdani ordered the closure of city streets to non-essential vehicular traffic, including bicycles and scooters, from 9 p.m. Sunday to 12 p.m. Monday.
Libraries will remain closed on Monday, Mamdani said in a post to X/Twitter, adding that a formal snow day has been declared, and all school buildings will be closed.
"New York City has not faced a storm of this scale in the last decade," Mamdani said. "We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all nonessential travel."
Similar restrictions were adopted in Connecticut, as Governor Ned Lamont banned commercial vehicles on state highways from 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency and activated up to 200 National Guard members to help. The state also restricted non-essential travel starting on Sunday evening.
This storm is forecasted to be the largest in nearly a decade, with up to two feet of snow possible across most of the northeastern United States.
New York City, New Jersey, and coastal communities along the East Coast, from the Mid-Atlantic to southern New England, have issued blizzard warnings. Winter storm alerts are in effect from the central Appalachians to Maine.
According to a Reuters report, around 15,247 flights were delayed by early afternoon on Sunday, and 3,509 were canceled. The largest number of cancellations was at JFK and LaGuardia airports in New York, and Newark Airport in New Jersey.
Second record-breaking storm of 2026
Back in January, a winter storm affected 40 states over a weekend, with heavy snow, freezing rain, and sleet, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS).
According to data shared by the NWS, heavy rains and snow affected people along the northeastern coast and in the center of the country.
"Take this storm seriously, folks," said the NWS in a statement, and added, "Hazardous to impossible driving conditions are expected. Avoid travel if at all possible. Widespread closures and disruption to infrastructure may also occur."
US President Donald Trump also shared a statement regarding the January storm.
"I have been briefed on the record cold wave and historic winter storm that will be hitting much of the United States this weekend," he had said at the time. "The Trump administration is coordinating with state and local officials. FEMA is fully prepared to respond. Stay safe and stay warm!"
Reuters contributed to this report.
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