A powerful bomb cyclone swept across the U.S. Northeast on Monday, dumping more than two-and-a-half feet (76.2 cm) of snow in some areas and bringing daily life to a near halt. Dangerous conditions forced widespread road closures, suspended train services, and led to the cancellation of approximately 7,400 flights.
The severe winter storm left thousands of homes and businesses without electricity, prompting officials including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to urge residents to avoid unnecessary travel to allow emergency crews to clear roads. Schools across New York and the broader region were shut down, and Broadway theaters closed their doors.
“New York remains in a state of emergency,” Mamdani said. “The travel ban has ended today at noon, but a hazardous travel advisory remains in place through midnight tonight.”
By early Monday afternoon, Central Park had recorded more than 19 inches (48 cm) of snowfall, while Boston received over 14 inches, according to Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. Providence, Rhode Island, saw more than 32 inches a record for the city while Philadelphia reported 14 inches.
Wind gusts reaching 40 to 60 mph (64–100 kph) created towering snowdrifts several feet high, worsening already treacherous conditions.
“It’ll probably take a week to dig out,” Oravec said.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 608,000 homes and businesses nationwide were without power, including roughly one in ten electricity customers in Massachusetts, according to PowerOutage.us.
Residents across the region expressed shock at the storm’s intensity. Sandra Wu, a veterinarian who has lived in New Hyde Park on Long Island for about two decades, described it as the worst winter storm she had experienced there. Snowdrifts blocked her family’s front door and covered windows.
“My husband went out early through the garage to start digging us out, but it was pointless,” Wu said.
Wu, 53, noted that the roughly 18 inches of snow reminded her of the heavy storms she experienced in Buffalo, New York, in the 1990s. While she had feared losing electricity, her family kept power and decided to spend the day baking as they waited for the snowfall to ease.
“We thought we’d lose power, thankfully not,” she said. “So we’re baking today. There’s nothing else to do while we wait for the snow to stop.”
At least seven states declared emergencies in response to the storm. Airlines reported over 7,400 cancellations by Monday afternoon, along with more than 2,300 delays, including flights scheduled for Tuesday. Major disruptions were concentrated at New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports, Boston’s Logan Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul deployed 100 National Guard members to assist in Long Island, New York City, and the lower Hudson Valley, areas expected to experience the harshest snowfall and coastal winds. The storm also forced the temporary closure of the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan.
In neighboring states, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency and instructed state employees to stay home. Connecticut restricted commercial vehicle travel on limited-access highways, exempting emergency and essential deliveries. Public transportation systems across New Jersey and Rhode Island were suspended, with officials saying services would resume only once conditions improved.
Even maritime travel was affected. Wu said her elderly in-laws were stranded aboard a cruise ship docked in New York Harbor, unable to depart for a planned trip to the Bahamas.
Despite the delay, she said they remained in good spirits.
“They are having the best time with 20 of their friends, eating well with plenty of entertainment,” while they wait for the storm to pass, Wu said.
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