Winter storm slows post-Christmas travel in the Northeast
By Meteorologist Chris Dolce, Andrew Freedman, CNN
(CNN) — A winter storm was dumping heavy snow and treacherous ice on parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast Friday evening into Saturday morning, snarling travel and knocking out power in parts of the region.
More than 650 flights within, into or out of the United States were delayed as of early Saturday and at least 600 were canceled, according to FlightAware, with New York’s three major airports among the hardest‑hit and additional disruptions reported in Boston. That follows more than 8,500 delays and 1,700 cancellations Friday.
And more than 30,000 homes and businesses lost power in Michigan as ice weighed on trees and power lines, according to poweroutage.us.
More than 23 million people were under winter storm warnings through Saturday — including New York City. Areas across New York state saw accumulating snow begin Friday and it was still falling early Saturday in the New York City area, including Long Island and northeast New Jersey.
The warnings are in effect for an area from New York City northeast into Connecticut, east to Long Island, and southwest into northern New Jersey. Interior portions of New York, including the Hudson Valley, Albany and Binghamton, are also in the warning area.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday afternoon for counties bracing for impact from the powerful winter storm.
A state of emergency went into effect in New Jersey at 1 p.m. Friday, acting Gov. Tahesha Way announced, urging people to avoid travel during the storm. The state announced travel restrictions for some commercial vehicles, such as semitrailers, on interstates starting Friday afternoon. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also advised motorists not to travel Friday evening.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for Philadelphia Saturday morning, where the fast-moving storm was bringing a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Snow totals in the Tri-State area were forecast to be between 5 to 9 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
A narrow zone of 8 to 12 inches of snow was predicted to fall from Long Island, New York, into Connecticut and parts of New York State north of New York City, according to the weather service.
New York City workers have been gearing up for days, with additional staff on standby to respond to the storm. Preparations were in full swing Friday, including salting the streets, readying plows and early closure of the ferry ahead of heavy snowfall .
Exact totals are still uncertain since it will depend on where any heavier bands of snow develop in relation to the Big Apple, but some spots north and west of the city could pick up more than 8 inches of snow. Also, if sleet mixes in with the snow in New York City it could lessen accumulations there.
The last time New York City saw a snowstorm of at least 4 inches was January 7, 2022. That snow-starved streak could end by Saturday as the storm moves out of the region during the morning.
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CNN’s Taylor Romine contributed to this report.
