United States

New York isolated by powerful snowstorm: transport paralysed, schools closed

For New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, much of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, the storm has the potential to have extreme impacts, exceeding the five-level scale used by the agency to predict winter systems

23 February 2026

La gente aspetta di attraversare l'angolo tra la 20esima strada e la First Avenue durante una tempesta di neve, domenica 22 febbraio 2026, a New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Hassell) Associated Press/ LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

A powerful winter storm has isolated New York City and crippled transportation networks, threatening to be among the worst ever recorded, with 41 million people on the US East Coast facing blizzard conditions.
It is a "potentially crippling storm" for many areas of the Northeast, said Brian Hurley, a senior meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center. For New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, much of Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, it has the potential to have extreme impacts, exceeding the five-level scale used by the agency to forecast winter systems.

The forecast

Heavy snowfall, combined with strong winds, could cause cascading delays in ground and air travel, as well as power outages that are likely to extend to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. US natural gas futures jumped as much as 6.8 per cent on Sunday evening, with the cold weather set to increase heating demand.

According to the US National Weather Service, New York City could receive more than 51 centimetres of snow, with the worst peak forecast for Sunday night. Any precipitation over 37.5 centimetres in 24 hours would be among the top 10 storms for the city. The daily high in New York City was 70 centimetres on 23 January 2016.

New York, tempesta di neve in arrivo: dichiarato lo stato di emergenza

"These are blizzard conditions," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Sunday, adding that some areas could see up to 71 centimetres of snow. "New York City has never faced a storm of this size in the last decade. We have activated additional high-water rescue teams in case the flooding worsens further."

Mamdani announced that highways, bridges and access roads in New York would be closed at 9pm on Sunday, while schools will remain closed on Monday. Meanwhile, rail and bus services were halted by the threat of more than 45-50 centimetres of snow falling from Philadelphia to Maine.

Many flights cancelled until Tuesday

Nearly 9,900 flights to and from the United States have been cancelled through Tuesday, most of them departing or arriving in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, according to FlightAware data. Delta Air Lines Inc. said it plans to suspend operations at New York's LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Boston Logan International airports through Tuesday.

New York isolata per neve
Photogallery21 foto

"No one will be in or out of New York City," said Frank Pereira, a senior meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center. "New Jersey, Long Island, New York City and southern New England will be hit with the heaviest snowfall." Winds will reach gusts of nearly 80 kilometres per hour in New York City and 112 km/h along the coast. In Philadelphia, 40 cm of snow could fall, while up to 50 cm are expected in Boston, according to the National Weather Service. In Washington, 7.5 cm were forecast.

According to the weather forecast, the weather will 'rapidly worsen' until Sunday evening, as snowfall intensifies and snow is expected, the agency's New York branch said. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MMA) underground operates local service, while the Metro-North Railroad follows weekend schedules. Service on the Long Island Rail Road, however, will be suspended.

State of Emergency for New York City, Long Island and parts of the Hudson Valley

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City, Long Island and parts of the Hudson Valley. New Jersey has also declared a state of emergency and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has banned commercial vehicles from passing through from 5pm on Sunday.

Hochul warned New Yorkers of possible widespread power outages. In preparation, some six thousand utility workers were deployed to intervene and restore service as quickly as possible. The governor extended the state of emergency to 22 counties, up from the previous 17. More than 100 National Guard members have been deployed, he added, and more than 2,000 snowplows are ready to clean and treat roads.

New York, le immagini del fiume Hudson ghiacciato
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Nearly 70,000 users in New Jersey, Virginia and Delaware were without power around 10pm local time on Sunday, according to PowerOutage.com. In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu declared a snow emergency and banned parking on major roads as of 2pm Sunday. All Boston public schools will be closed Monday, as will City Hall and other municipal buildings, including branches of the Boston Public Library.
Widespread snow in the Northeast and extensive ice on the Great Lakes could keep the region locked in a stormy winter for the next few weeks, said Rob Carolan, owner of Hometown Forecast Services.