Powerful winter storm slams US north-east as NYC issues travel ban

An historic winter storm has started lashing the north-east US, placing 59 million people under weather warnings, and causing power outages and a travel ban in New York City.

States of emergency have been declared in multiple US states including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Several have instituted travel restrictions or bans due to the blizzard and thousands of flights have been cancelled.

Forecasters say much of the US north-east and the maritimes provinces will be affected from Sunday evening to Monday.

It's expected to be the most powerful nor'easter storm in nearly a decade for much of the region, bringing snow, fierce winds and coastal flooding.

As of midnight local time (05:00 GMT) on Monday, much of the north-east had already been blanketed in several inches of snow, with 10 inches (25cm) reported in Manorville, New York and Howell, New Jersey, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS).

It has warned that the storm will bring an estimated 2-3 inches (5-7cm) could fall per hour during the storm, and snowfall can reach 1-2ft (30-60cm), resulting in "nearly impossible" travel conditions that were "extremely treacherous".

About 40 million people are under blizzard warning, and another 19 million are under winter storm warnings, which cover the Central Appalachians from North Carolina to coastal Maine.

"While we do get plenty of these nor'easters that produce heavy snow and strong impacts, it's been several years since we saw one of this magnitude across this large of a region in this very populated part of the country," Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the NWS's Weather Prediction Center, told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Power cuts have affected more than 150,000 people in the north-eastern states so far, including 60,000 in New Jersey alone. Tens of thousands more are without power in Virginia, Delaware and Maryland, according to tracker PowerOutage.us.

About 5,500 US flights were cancelled on Sunday and hundreds of others were delayed, according to monitor FlightAware.

Snow began falling on Sunday evening in parts of the US north-east, including in Boston, Philadelphia and New York, where some of the harshest conditions are forecast.

It's the first time in nine years that New York City - the most populous US city - has been under a blizzard warning. It is expected to be hit with 18-24 inches (50-60cm) of snow expected and temperatures dropping to about 20F (-6C).

A full travel ban is in place in New York City from 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Sunday to 12:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Monday, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani saying schools would be closed and all streets, highways and bridges would be shut to traffic - besides for emergencies.

Mamdani told a news conference announcing a state of emergency that the most severe snowfall was expected overnight into Monday, with up to 28 inches (70cm) anticipated in certain areas.

This is the second major snowstorm of the first-time mayor's administration, after 19 people died during a three-week cold snap in January.

Across the state, the highest wind gusts - up to 65-70mph (104-112km/h) - are expected along the coast, with officials warning of downed tree limbs and power outages.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the whole state ahead of the nor'easter and put 100 members of the National Guard on ready alert.

"This will be something the likes of which we've not seen in years," she said. "People will be in the dark. Long Island and New York City and lower Hudson are literally in the direct eye of the storm."

Due to the storm, all Broadway shows on Sunday evening were cancelled and the New York Racing Association has cancelled Sunday's eight horse races at the Aqueduct Racetrack.

In Rhode Island, Governor Dan McKee issued a travel ban across the state and enabled the activation of the National Guard as needed. He also closed state government offices on Monday.

"We're asking Rhode Islanders to take this storm seriously and stay home," he said. "This is an all-hands-on-deck response. Our state agencies have the resources and manpower they need to respond and keep Rhode Islanders safe."

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill also declared a state of emergency and halted service on the state's transport network from Sunday evening.

She said this could be "the worst storm we have seen since 1996", and encouraged residents to stay home and off the roads.

In Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont signed an emergency order halting all commercial vehicles from travelling on highways across the state.

The order takes effect at 17:00 local time (22:00 GMT) on Sunday and remains in effect until further notice, he said.

Massachusetts, Delaware and Rhode Island have also declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm and the city of Boston, Massachusetts, has closed its schools.

In Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro has signed a disaster declaration ahead of the storm to ensure state agencies "have every resource they need to prepare and keep people safe".

Although the nation's capital is not expected to be as severely impacted, school districts near Washington DC have announced closures. Federal government offices have delayed the start of the work day and said workers could take unscheduled leave or work remotely due to the weather.

In Canada, Nova Scotia's east coast is expected to be the worst hit, with many parts currently under an amber weather warning from Monday morning - suggesting widespread outages, roof damage and falling debris are possible - until early Tuesday.