New York mayor Zohran Mamdani orders citywide travel ban as major storm hits U.S.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani connected Sunday (February 22, 2026) ordered the shutdown of the city's full postulation web for each but exigency question arsenic a monolithic snowstorm began to deed the northeast United States.

Tens of millions of Americans from the U.S. superior Washington to the bluish authorities of Maine prepared for up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snowfall forecast successful immoderate areas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said blizzard conditions would "quickly materialize" from Maryland up to southeastern New England, making question "extremely treacherous."

Snow could autumn astatine a complaint of 2 to 3 inches per hr astatine the highest of the storm, with astir 54 cardinal radical successful its path, it said.

On Sunday (February 22, 2026) evening, the tempest had already begun to deed New York, slashing visibility to the grade that the skyscrapers of Wall Street were hardly disposable from the adjacent borough of Brooklyn.

Power outages are likely, owed to dense snowfall and beardown upwind gusts, forecasters said. As of 7:30 p.m. section clip (0030 GMT), astatine slightest 22,895 customers were without powerfulness successful the authorities of New Jersey, according to tracking website poweroutage.us.

In New York, which has much than 8 cardinal people, Mr. Mamdani said streets, highways and bridges would beryllium unopen down from 9:00 p.m. connected Sunday until noon Monday.

State of exigency successful New York City

"New York City has not faced a tempest of this standard successful the past decade," helium said, explaining the authorities of emergency. "We are asking New Yorkers to debar each non-essential travel."

The prohibition volition not use to indispensable workers oregon New Yorkers needing to question owed to emergencies.

Brooklyn nonmigratory Brandon Smith, 33, complained that workplaces remained open, adjacent if the roads were not.

"It's gonna beryllium hard for astir New Yorkers to get astir due to the fact that we inactive person to spell to work. It's unfortunate (roads) are suspended arsenic jobs are not gonna halt calling america in," helium said.

The NWS warned dense snow, precocious winds and debased visibility were "expected to origin unsafe to intolerable travel" conditions.

Gusts of up to 60 miles (100 kilometers) per hr were expected precocious Sunday and into Monday, the NWS said.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a authorities of exigency opening midday connected Sunday (February 22, 2026), freeing up funds and allowing the swift deployment of resources to code the upwind crisis.

Public schools and municipal buildings closed

In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu closed each nationalist schools and municipal buildings connected Monday (February 23, 2026).

"We inquire everyone to program ahead, enactment harmless and warm, and enactment disconnected the roads to assistance our nationalist works and nationalist information efforts," Wu said.

The NWS said "moderate to major" coastal flooding affecting waterfront roads and properties was imaginable from Delaware up to Cape Cod successful Massachusetts.

The tempest comes conscionable weeks aft the portion recovered from different devastating wintertime upwind strategy that was linked to much than 100 deaths.

"The worst is yet to come," New York Governor Kathy Hochul told a property briefing connected Sunday (February 22, 2026).

"Whatever you request -- immoderate groceries, immoderate medicines you request to beryllium refilled astatine the pharmacy, immoderate favored nutrient you request to person -- bash it close now."

Then, she advised, "just settee in."

"Watch immoderate much Olympics, work a book, drawback up connected the news, telephone your household members, telephone your moms -- particularly your moms."