A strong nor’easter — the strongest of the season so far for many cities — has been dumping heavy snowfall in the Northeast. The storm began Sunday and has become more intense Monday, with snowfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency late Monday morning for New York City and nine other counties throughout the Hudson Valley and Long Island. The counties included in the emergency declaration are Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk.
The governor also issued an advisory for travelers and commuters. Above-ground subway service, as well as service on portions of the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North, may be significantly delayed or stopped this afternoon. Additionally, a number of major roads, including the Long Island Expressway and Interstate 84, could face travel bans if snowfall rates reach the forecast 2-3 inches per hour. New Yorkers are being urged to avoid all unnecessary travel.
“This storm is no joke and the main concern right now is that the expected snowfall rate of 2 [to 3] inches per hour this afternoon creates an extremely dangerous situation on our roadways,” Cuomo said. “When snow is falling that quickly, it makes it very difficult for plows to keep up with it. I want New Yorkers to hear me loud and clear: Stay home and off the roads and if you must travel, get where you’re going before noon, and expect to remain home for some time. We’ve been through this before and we will get through it again.”
This is a slow-moving storm which may not exit New York state and northern New England until Wednesday. By the time it’s all said and done, parts of the New York City metropolitan area could see snowfall totals of 12 to 20 inches. The same goes for other places from the mid-Atlantic to New England, including cities along the Interstate 95 corridor such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C. Wind gusts across the region will range from 40 to 60 mph. Blowing snow will create whiteout conditions, and coastal flooding is possible.
As of 3 p.m. ET Monday, the New York State Department of Transportation has banned tandem and empty trailers from the following highways:
- I-84 from the New York-Pennsylvania border to the New York-Connecticut border.
- NY Route 17 east of Binghamton to the New York-New Jersey border.
- Interstate 684 entire length.
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