A powerful winter storm is battering the East Coast, placing roughly 80 million people across 12 states under winter weather alerts as blizzard conditions stretch from the Mid-Atlantic through New England. Coastal communities are facing the brunt of the storm, with major metropolitan areas—including Philadelphia, New York City and Boston—directly in its path.
The system, driven by an intensifying offshore low-pressure center, is producing heavy snowfall and fierce winds along the Atlantic seaboard. Blizzard warnings remain in effect through Monday for coastal regions from New Jersey and Delaware into southern New England. New York City is under its first blizzard warning since 2017, and areas east of Interstate 95, especially between Philadelphia and New York City, are expected to see the heaviest accumulations, creating treacherous travel conditions. “We haven’t seen a storm like this in a decade. Some parts of the city could see up to 28in,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned on social media.
Forecasters say snowfall totals could range from 12 to 24 inches in parts of New York City and Boston, while Philadelphia may see up to 18 inches. Washington, D.C., is projected to receive 3 to 6 inches, and Baltimore could pick up several inches as well. During the storm’s peak Sunday night into early Monday, snowfall rates may reach 2 to 4 inches per hour, with wind gusts between 50 and 70 mph. Visibility could drop below a quarter mile, and deep snowdrifts are likely.
Officials across the region have taken emergency measures: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency and deployed roughly 100 National Guard members, and in Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu announced a snow emergency and canceled school for Monday. New York City leaders also ordered a state of emergency and imposed a travel ban beginning Sunday night through midday Monday. Public schools in the city will close Monday, marking the first traditional snow day since 2019.
Blizzard warnings of this scale are rare. It’s the first such alert for New York City since 2017 and for Philadelphia since 2016. New Jersey has not seen a statewide blizzard warning since 1996, and Delaware hasn’t experienced one covering the entire state since 2010. By definition, a blizzard involves sustained or frequent wind gusts of at least 35 mph combined with visibility of a quarter mile or less for three hours or longer.
Coastal flooding is another serious concern, with about 21 million people under flood alerts from Maryland to Maine. Areas including Atlantic City, Long Island and Boston could experience 1 to 3 feet of water above ground level during high tide. Strong winds are amplifying storm surge, raising the risk of inundation in vulnerable shoreline neighborhoods.
Air travel has been severely disrupted. Delta Air Lines announced cancellations for Sunday and Monday at LaGuardia, JFK and Boston Logan. Across the country, more than 2,700 flights were canceled Sunday, many tied to the New York City region. By Monday, cancellations climbed past 3,000. JetBlue alone scrapped hundreds of flights and said it had canceled about 1,200 trips scheduled between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday, with additional changes possible. “The safety of our customers and crewmembers is our first priority, and we will continue to track the storm to determine if additional operational adjustments will be required,” JetBlue said.
Snow and wind are expected to taper off by Monday afternoon or evening, the start of the week will remain cold and blustery. However, temperatures are forecast to rebound quickly with highs climbing into the mid- to upper 40s across much of the region later in the week.
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