Air India Issues Advisory As US Winter Storm Nears, 2-Feet Snow Predicted

Air India cancelled all flight to and from the New York and Newark airports on Tuesday, while several other airlines offered free date change or refund as northeast US braced for a massive snowstorm.

Transport Hit

American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines detailed terms for free date change or cancellation for flights to, from and through airports including New York, Newark, Boston, Connecticut, Virginia, Washington DC and Rhode Island, among others.

So far, over 5,000 flights have been cancelled, data from the tracker FlightAware showed early Monday.

NJ TRANSIT suspended bus, light rail and Access Link service Sunday evening and halted statewide rail service by Sunday night, with operations resuming only when conditions allow.

In New England, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority said it would suspend all service - including its RIde paratransit program - from Sunday night through Monday and would announce plans to resume service only when conditions improve.

Weather Body Predicts 2 Feet Snow

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted a major winter storm for the north east US, with heavy snow in the Great Lakes region - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin - on Tuesday. NWS also predicted blizzard conditions would "quickly materialise" from Maryland up to southeastern New England, making travel "extremely treacherous." 

Snow could fall at a rate of two to three inches per hour at the peak of the storm, with nearly 54 million people in its path. Gusts of up to 60 miles (100 kilometers) per hour were expected late Sunday and into Monday, the NWS said.

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

Onset of the winter storm in New York City.
Photo Credit: Reuters

Schools were shut down, offices were switched to emergency schedules and drivers were asked to keep off the roads as Americans from Washington to Main prepare for up to two feet of snow in some areas.

Life Comes To A Halt In New York, New Jersey

Impact of the storm is already being witnessed in New York, where visibility fell, making it difficult to spot Wall Street's skyscrapers from Brooklyn. Light snow and freezing fog brought the temperature on Monday morning to minus 1 degree Celsius.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani explained the state of emergency, "New York City has not faced a storm of this scale in the last decade. We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all non-essential travel." New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had activated 100 National Guard members to assist in Long Island, New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. The storm also forced closure of the UN headquarters complex in Manhattan on Monday.

New York's Museum of Modern Art and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington announced closures on Monday, while DC Broadway shows were canceled Sunday evening.

New York City experienced frigid weather since Sunday evening.
Photo Credit: Reuters

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency beginning midday Sunday, freeing up funds and allowing the swift deployment of resources to address the weather crisis. Per tracking website poweroutage.us, nearly 80,000 customers were without power in the state of New Jersey as of Monday 1.40 am local time.

Bomb Cyclone

Weather service meteorologist Frank Pereira told The Associated Press that the storm could possibly become a bomb cyclone, which is when a storm drops at least 24 millibars in pressure in 24 hours. "We're expecting it to drop by that magnitude at least over the course of the next 24 hours," he said. "I think when all is said and done, it will meet the definition of a bomb cyclone."

The storm comes just weeks after the region faces a frigid winter weather system that was linked to over 100 deaths.