The National Weather Service says a storm meets the definition of a blizzard<\/a> when there is “snow and\/or blowing snow reducing visibility to 1\/4 mile or less for 3 hours or longer” and also “sustained winds of 35 mph or greater or frequent gusts to 35 mph or greater.”<\/p>\n Major snowfall is in the forecast for a huge section of the eastern U.S.<\/p>\n CBS News<\/p>\n Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged<\/a> New Yorkers to stay inside and off the roads for the duration of the storm. This is the new mayor’s second major snowstorm of his administration. During the previous storm, 19 people died<\/a> during brutally cold weather that lasted more than three weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n New York City was loading up more than 700 salt spreaders and turning more than 2,000 garbage trucks into snowplows. Mamdani was also offering to hire residents to clear sidewalks.<\/p>\n “You too can become an emergency snow shoveler,” Mamdani said in a news conference Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared<\/a> a state of emergency Saturday ahead of the nor’easter and activated about 100 members of the National Guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n The forecast for snow accumulation along the East Coast.<\/p>\n CBS News<\/p>\n New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also\u00a0declared<\/a> a state of emergency\u202fstarting Sunday at noon, saying she expects “severe blizzard conditions across our state.”<\/p>\n “So I am urging you to make plans to stay off the roads Sunday through Monday,” Sherrill said in a news conference Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n The weather service said 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in many areas as it issued\u00a0blizzard warnings<\/a>\u00a0for New York City, Long Island, southern Connecticut and coastal communities in New Jersey and Delaware. Snowfall totals upwards of 6-18 inches are possible across the Northeast. Lower snowfall amounts are expected in the Mid-Atlantic area.<\/p>\n Flooding was possible in parts of New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, the weather service said.<\/p>\n A blizzard warning was also\u00a0issued<\/a>\u00a0for parts of southern New England \u2014 its first in four years. CBS Boston<\/a>\u00a0reported the storm is forecast to hit the city and surrounding areas with up to 2 feet of snow Sunday night through Monday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n Blizzard and winter storm warnings for the East Coast.<\/p>\n CBS News<\/p>\n CBS News meteorologist Andrew Kozak said that several major Northeast cities under blizzard warnings on Sunday, including New York City and Boston, “will have a combination of wind blowing snow, and reduced visibilities that are going to be very dangerous across the next 24 to 48 hours.”<\/p>\n He said conditions would take a turn for the worse beginning Sunday afternoon and continue into the Sunday evening hours. <\/p>\n “By Sunday afternoon, colder air rushes in, the snow starts to pile up, and very, very quickly,” Kozak said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The storm began to arrive quietly on Sunday with rainfall in some places before worsening, with the heaviest snowfall expected Sunday night. Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour are expected by Sunday night, with higher rates, up to 2 to 3 inches per hour, possible from Philadelphia to New York City and into southern New England.\u00a0<\/p>\n The weather service warned that the storm, with steady winds of 25 to 35 mph, would “make travel dangerous, if not impossible. Scattered downed tree limbs and power outages are possible due to snow load and strong winds.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Stronger wind gusts, of 40 mph to 70 mph, could also produce drifting snow, hampering visibility and potentially causing whiteout conditions. Kozak said that travel along major corridors, including Interstates 95, 78, 80, 84, and the Massachusetts Turnpike, may become extremely dangerous or impossible during the height of the storm.<\/p>\n Wind gusts could potentially create perilous travel conditions, including whiteouts.<\/p>\n CBS News<\/p>\n On Saturday, officials in Atlantic City, New Jersey, urged residents and casino visitors to stay off streets during the storm, especially in low-lying neighborhoods prone to flooding.<\/p>\n “I could go on and on probably with a good two dozen streets where we know we will get water and there will be snow on top of that, said Scott Evans, the city’s fire chief and emergency management coordinator. “So you won’t be able to see it until it’s too late, so therefore please stay at home.”<\/p>\n The storm approached just as the icy remains of a snowstorm that struck the region weeks earlier were finally melting away.\u00a0<\/p>\n Airlines cancel flights in region<\/p>\n Delta announced<\/a> Saturday that it has cancelled flights for Sunday and Monday at New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK and Boston. Customers headed to East Coast airports have flexible options to rebook.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are more than 2,700 flights cancelled on Sunday,\u00a0according<\/a> to flight tracker FlightAware, with the majority scheduled to arrive or leave from the New York City metro area. Delta cancelled 303 flights, while JetBlue cancelled 426 flights and American Airlines cancelled 333 flights, according to FlightAware.\u00a0<\/p>\n Monday\u00a0showed<\/a>\u00a0more than 3,000 cancelled flights, according to FlightAware, with JetBlue canceling 687 flights, Delta canceling 443 flights and American canceling 521 flights, primarily in New York City and Boston airports. \u00a0<\/p>\n In a statement provided to CBS News Saturday night, JetBlue said it had canceled a total of about 1,200 flights that were scheduled between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday, with more cancellations expected. \u00a0<\/p>\n “The safety of our customers and crewmembers is our first priority, and we will continue to track the storm to determine if additional operational adjustments will be required,” JetBlue said.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"blizzard-map.jpg](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/blizzard-map.jpg#.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"snow-accumulation.jpg](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snow-accumulation.jpg#.jpeg\")
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