Winter sometimes gathers its strength over the Atlantic and then turns inland with a kind of deliberate force, and on this Tuesday a nor'easter did exactly that across the Northeast. Its snow stranded travelers at airports from LaGuardia to Boston, emptied school classrooms in New York City and Boston, and sent officials urging ordinary people to stay off the roads. The storm arrived with a late shift in its path that spared parts of the Boston area while burdening southern New England and the New York metropolitan region, a reminder that weather forecasts are always provisional. In the larger
Nearly 1,100 Flights Cancelled as Nor'easter Snarls Northeast Airports and Roads
Nearly 400 flights cancelled at LaGuardia before the snow had peaked
Mark
Nearly 400 cancellations at LaGuardia alone. Why is it singled out?
Mimi
It simply had the highest count in FlightAware's tally on Tuesday morning. Newark, Logan and JFK were reporting similar rates, though.
Mark
And the national figure is about 1,100 cancelled, 1,500 delayed?
Mimi
Yes, for flights into, out of or within the US, as of early Tuesday. The report expects both to rise as snow keeps falling.
Luke
Worth noting that's a snapshot from the morning. The final totals aren't known yet, and the rise is a projection, not a count.
Mark
What are officials asking people to do?
Mimi
Stay off the roads. Governor Hochul urged New Yorkers to stay home, Philadelphia's NWS office asked people to delay travel, and schools in New York City and Boston closed.
Mark
Boston got a surprise, didn't it?
Mimi
The storm shifted late Monday night, so early snow hit southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island instead.
Luke
The snowfall numbers are forecasts too: up to eight inches in New York City, up to fifteen in parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. Power outages are described as likely, not confirmed.
Mark
So what do we watch?
Mimi
Actual accumulation, the 60 mph gusts off the Massachusetts coast, and whether the outages happen.
Il Polso
- About 1,100 flights were cancelled and 1,500 delayed by Tuesday morning, with LaGuardia absorbing nearly 400 cancellations.
- Newark, JFK and Boston Logan are all reporting cancellation rates close to LaGuardia's, and the numbers are expected to climb.
- New York City and Boston schools closed, and Massachusetts asked non-essential state workers to stay home.
- Governor Kathy Hochul and forecasters are urging residents to avoid travel as snow intensifies through the day.
- Up to 8 inches are forecast for New York City and up to 15 for parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, with gusts near 60 mph and power outages likely.
Winter sometimes gathers its strength over the Atlantic and then turns inland with a kind of deliberate force, and on this Tuesday a nor'easter did exactly that across the Northeast. Its snow stranded travelers at airports from LaGuardia to Boston, emptied school classrooms in New York City and Boston, and sent officials urging ordinary people to stay off the roads. The storm arrived with a late shift in its path that spared parts of the Boston area while burdening southern New England and the New York metropolitan region, a reminder that weather forecasts are always provisional. In the larger story of how cities prepare for the unpredictable, this was one more moment in which a region paused, slowed, and waited for the sky to finish speaking.
By early Tuesday, LaGuardia Airport had already logged nearly 400 cancelled flights and more than 100 delays, making it the hardest-hit airport in the Northeast as a nor'easter piled snow across the region. It was far from alone. Newark, JFK and Boston Logan were reporting similar cancellation rates, and across the country roughly 1,100 flights had been cancelled with another 1,500 delayed, figures expected to rise as the day went on.
On the ground, officials pleaded for people to stay put. New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged residents to remain home as the snow thickened, and the National Weather Service office covering Philadelphia asked travelers to postpone trips where possible. Schools in New York City and Boston closed, and Massachusetts sent its non-essential state employees home, all in an effort to keep traffic thin.
The storm also had a late twist. A last-minute shift on Monday night spared much of the Boston area the early snow, which instead fell on southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Meteorologists now expect New York to see its heaviest snowfall in more than two years, with up to eight inches in the city and as much as fifteen in parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. Gusts near 60 miles per hour off the Massachusetts coast add to the concern, and power outages are likely. The day's flight counts, snow totals and outages will show how far the disruption reaches.
By early Tuesday morning, LaGuardia Airport had already logged nearly 400 cancelled flights and more than 100 delays, according to FlightAware, making it the hardest-hit airport in the Northeast as snow from a nor'easter piled up across the region.
LaGuardia was not alone. Newark Liberty International, Boston Logan International and John F Kennedy International were all reporting cancellation rates similar to LaGuardia's. Across the country, roughly 1,100 flights into, out of or within the United States had been cancelled by early Tuesday, and another 1,500 were delayed. The reporting expected those figures to climb through the day as the snow kept accumulating.
The roads offered little relief. Local officials throughout the Northeast warned people to avoid travel unless it was necessary. New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged residents to stay home as the snowfall intensified over the course of Tuesday. The National Weather Service office covering Philadelphia asked people to put off travel if they could.
Schools were part of the effort to keep traffic down. Public schools in New York City and Boston were closed Tuesday, and Massachusetts asked its non-essential state employees to stay home.
Boston's forecast changed late. According to National Weather Service forecasts, a last-minute shift in the storm on Monday night meant much of the early snow missed the Boston area, falling instead on southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Meteorologists expect the storm to deliver New York's highest snowfall totals in more than two years. Up to eight inches are forecast for New York City, while parts of New Jersey and Connecticut could receive as much as fifteen. Wind is a concern too: gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are forecast off the Massachusetts coast.
With that combination of heavy snow and wind, power outages are likely across much of the Northeast on Tuesday. The day's flight numbers, snowfall totals and any outages will show how far the storm's disruption extends.
Citazioni salienti
Governor Hochul urged New Yorkers to stay home as snowfall intensified on Tuesday.— Paraphrase of New York Governor Kathy Hochul
Residents should delay travel if possible.— Paraphrase of the National Weather Service office for Philadelphia
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Climate & Environment