New York is facing one of the most severe snowstorms in recent years in the northeastern United States, with coastal winds of 35 to 60 miles per hour (56-97 km/h) causing prolonged blizzards and 'whiteout' conditions with visibility less than a quarter of a mile. The snowfall began lightly on the morning of Sunday, February 22, and intensified overnight, with peaks of up to three inches of snow per hour, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Blizzard warnings remain in effect in major urban centers like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, affecting more than 40 million people. In various parts of New York State, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, more than 60 centimeters of accumulation were reported, while in the New York metropolitan area and New Jersey, snowfall ranged from 16 to 24 inches, with some areas reaching 30 inches. The impact was also strongly felt in the air system: over 10,000 flights were canceled through Tuesday, with key airports like LaGuardia Airport recording cancellation rates of over 98% on Monday. Authorities warned that travel could be 'dangerous or impossible' due to the intense gusts and snow accumulation. As the storm worsened, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency for the entire city, as well as for Long Island and extensive areas of New Jersey and the Lower Hudson Valley. 'Our city is facing its second snowstorm in less than a month and our first blizzard since 2016. Additionally, 18 heating buses, 11 hospital spaces, and 13 school centers have been deployed to assist vulnerable people, amid a climatic phenomenon that could extend its consequences for the next few hours. Monday morning travel will be extremely dangerous,' he stated at a press conference, urging the population to stay at home. As part of the measures to mitigate the effects of the extreme cold, the municipal administration activated the Code Blue protocol from 4 p.m. on Saturday to ensure unrestricted access to shelters.
