ISTANBUL, Feb 23 — A powerful winter storm is battering the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern US, bringing heavy snow, blizzard conditions, high winds, and coastal flooding, the National Weather Service (NWS) said yesterday.
Anadolu Ajansi reported that snowfall rates of five to seven centimetres (cm) per hour are expected at times, with totals of 30 to 60 cm in some areas, resulting in "nearly impossible travel conditions".
The NWS issued a blizzard warning for New York from 1pm yesterday through 6 pm today, cautioning that the heaviest snow would coincide with the strongest winds from yesterday evening into today, with visibility dropping below 400 metres (m).
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the city is expecting 45 to 55 cm of snow with gusts up to 80 kilometres per hour (km/h) and possible coastal flooding of up to 75 cm at high tide.
Mamdani said a state of emergency has been declared in the city and that a travel ban will be in effect from 9 pm yesterday until 12 pm today. Schools in the city also be closed today, he said at a press conference.
All of New Jersey is under a blizzard warning for the first time in 30 years, with a 90 per cent likelihood of the entire state receiving 30 cm or more of snow.
Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency for all 21 counties, urging residents to get off the roads immediately. "Take this storm seriously," she said.
The NWS Boston office flagged a potentially "historic and destructive" storm southeast of the Boston-Providence corridor, warning of wind gusts of 95 to 113 km/h, widespread power outages, and tree damage, with the worst conditions expected today between 4am and noon.
Wind gusts of 65 to 113 km/h are forecast across coastal New Jersey into southeastern New England, with moderate to major coastal flooding expected from Delaware to Cape Cod, including road inundation and property damage near waterfront areas.
The NWS's Winter Storm Severity Index identified southeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Long Island, Rhode Island, and southeastern Massachusetts as facing the highest impact levels, warning of "extensive and widespread disruptions to daily life".
