New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia have declared state of emergencies and canceled thousands of flights as winter storm Orlena hits the Northeast and threatens to bring up to two feet of snow in the region after leaving a trail of destruction across the country.
More than 100million people from the Midwest to the Northeast received winter weather warnings in anticipation of the powerful nor’easter.
By Sunday evening the powerful storm dumped about eight inches of snow in parts of Chicago and three to five inches in central Ohio. As a result of the storm hundreds of car crashes have been reported and thousands of flights have been canceled in New York City.
The storm has now reached the East Coast where it will bring heavy snow, strong winds and freezing temperatures across New England, including Boston and Philadelphia.
By Sunday night Washington, DC, Baltimore and New York City already had snowfall and locals in Connecticut and New York were seen lining up at stores and clearing out shelves, stocking up on food, water, snow plows and shovels.
On Sunday night New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a state of emergency where all residents are urged to stay home. All non-essential travel was restricted at 6am Monday.
Heavy snow falling at an inch to 3 inches an hour was forecast for Monday in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
Orlena is predicted to bring blizzard-like conditions and drop between 18 to 24 inches of snow in New York City from Monday into Tuesday, coupled with wind gusts up to 45 to 55mph.
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Weather warnings stretch from North Carolina up to Maine into Tuesday as Winter Storm Orlena hits the East Coast
A view of the forecast on for Monday shows heavy snow predicted to fall from Indiana to Boston
By Monday night heavier snow will head further north into upstate and central New York. All throughout, strong winds will wallop the coast Monday into evening. By Tuesday there will be lighter snow lingering in far west and central New York
This map shows that light snow will still fall through late Tuesday, hitting states further north the hardest
This map shows that Parts of Pennsylvania, the metro New York area and Massachusetts will be some of the regions hardest hit in the storm
‘New Yorkers should stay home, keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles and let our plows work to keep us safe. Make no mistake: this storm will bring heavy snowfall and it will make travel dangerous in every neighborhood in our city,’ de Blasio said in a statement.
The severe weather will put a halt on the city’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout, with all Monday appointments for the shots being postponed.
‘It will be rescheduled quickly. We don’t want people out trying to get a vaccination and end up being in harm’s way during this weather,’ De Blasio said on NY1.
The city’s schools will also have classes moved online and airports have moved to cancel flights.
New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport has canceled 75 per cent of flights for Monday and La Guardia has canceled about 81 per cent of flights on Monday.
All New Jersey Transit trains and buses were suspended, except for the Atlantic City Rail Line. New York Waterway ferries also were suspended. Amtrak modified its train service, canceling some trains.
At least 128 flights were canceled at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Sunday, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Temperatures were expected to be in the upper 20s to lower 30s for the New York City metro area.
New Yorkers woke up to a snowy city (aerial view of Manhattan) on Monday morning. On Sunday night New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a state of emergency where all residents are urged to stay home
Heavy snow falling at an inch to 3 inches an hour was forecast for Monday in New York (Manhattan pictured), New Jersey and Connecticut, the National Weather Service (NWS) said
Orlena is predicted to bring blizzard-like conditions and drop between 18 to 24 inches of snow in New York City (Bryant Park pictured) from Monday into Tuesday, coupled with wind gusts up to 45 to 55mph
People make their way through the snow in Midtown Manhattan, as Winter Storm Orlena hits New York City Monday morning
A man is seen clearing snow off the sidewalk in front of a Midtown Manhattan building early Monday morning
Some New Yorkers were seen braving the snow for their morning commutes early on Monday
Lara Pagano, a meteorologist with the NWS, said the nor’easter developing off the mid-Atlantic coast will be a ‘pretty slow mover’ as it brings heavy snow and strong winds through Tuesday.
‘It’s going to be a prolonged event,’ Pagano said. ‘We have snow that had made its way across much of Pennsylvania and into southern portions of New York and into Connecticut and much of New Jersey.’
As of Monday morning, some areas had already gotten 3 to 5 inches of snow, with 6 inches in parts of Pennsylvania, she said. In parts of New Jersey, 7 inches was already reported as of Monday morning.
New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy on Sunday declared a state of emergency in order to deploy resources. He also closed all state government offices for nonessential personnel and the state’s six mega sites that distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
New Jersey’s state of emergency went into effect at 7pm Sunday and NJ Transit busses, rail, and Access Link service will be temporarily suspended Monday.
‘Heavy snow, coastal flooding, and high winds are expected in many parts of the state. The safety of residents and workers is our utmost priority. Please follow all weather-related guidance and stay off roads in order to allow access for emergency personnel,’ Murphy said in a statement.
According to Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the NWS, the heaviest snowfall is likely to be recorded in northeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey.
In Pennsylvania forecasters predict 11 to 15 inches of snow in some areas and winds of up to 35 miles per hour.
More than 100million people from the Midwest to the Northeast have received winter weather warnings in the powerful nor’easter. A man is seen plowing through snow early Monday morning in Stamford, Connecticut
Workers started to plow snow early Monday morning in parts of Stamford, Connecticut
Snow started falling just after 10pm on Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut. Accumulations so far are about 5 inches with the possibility of the area getting around 18 inches by Tuesday morning
Winter wonderland: A view of people strolling the snowy National Mall in Washington DC on Sunday above. The nation’s capital is expected to get six to 10 inches of snow in the first major snow storm of the year
President Joe Biden appeared to enjoy the winter weather as he walked through the White House surrounded by the snow
Locals flocked to their local stores to stock up on water and food ahead of the storm. A view of Costco shoppers in Norwalk, Connecticut above
Sold out! Shoppers in Norwalk, Connecticut buy out all the snow blowers for the impending storm on Sunday
In Henrico County, Virginia a Henrico County fire truck overturned on slick roads on while on a call on Sunday
All four firefighters inside were able to exit safely and were taken to hospitals for minor injuries as officials warned locals to stay off the roads
The snow was expected to start falling in Massachusetts on Monday morning, bringing up to a foot of snow to impact the evening commute.
The storm will reach northern New England later Monday night, meteorologists said.
Winds strong enough to bring down tree branches with gusts ranging from 35 to 50mph are forecast for the storm.
Shoppers in Norwalk, Connecticut buy out all the groceries at Shoprite for the impending storm on Sunday
A plow clears the sidewalk during a heavy snowfall in Washington DC on Sunday
In the storm hundreds of vehicle crashes were reported.
Maryland State police responded to more than 70 crashes and to 37 disabled or unattended vehicles.
Virginia State Police responded to more than 270 vehicle crashes and 240 stuck cars between midnight and 2pm Sunday.
This map shows snowfall reports as of Sunday at 9pm showing how Orlena has already impacted Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia
Residents in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, dig their cars out Sunday above
National Guard troops provide security in the aftermath of rioting as Winter Storm Orlena leaves snow on the US Capitol grounds
Residents shovel out their vehicle from the snow in the Pilsen neighborhood after an overnight snowfall that dropped up to eight inches of snow in Chicago on Sunday
Stocking up! A long line of shoppers outside a Whole Foods store in Manhattan above hours before Winter Storm Orlena hit Sunday
A view of a man cleaning snow off of his car during Winter Storm Orlena in Wheeling, Illinois on Sunday
Orlena started in California last week where it brought more than six feet of snow and heavy rain to the region, before making its way to the Midwest by the weekend.
AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno has already called the cold blast ‘monumental’.
Mechanicsville, Virginia: Trucks clear snow from Mechanicsville Turnpike on Sunday morning
Mechanicsville, Virginia: David Rigby shovels his driveway during a snowstorm Sunday
Washington DC: Washington is expecting 3 to 5 inches of snow during the first major snow storm of the year
More than 100million people across the Midwest and Northeast face snowy conditions through Tuesday
Weather warnings are in place across the New York, with gusts as high as 45 mph forecast and up to two feet of snow
In Wisconsin, snow depths in some counties near Lake Michigan had reached more than 15 inches, and the snow was still falling.
‘That’s more snow than we’ve seen in a decade,’ Chris Stumpf, meteorologist with the NWS in Sullivan, Wisconsin, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Three to 5 inches of snow arrived in central Ohio by early Sunday, making for some slippery roads.
Washington, DC, and parts of Virginia had also received some snow, with up to 3 inches in some areas.
Washington DC: A woman carries an umbrella as she walks in the snow on the National Mall during a snow storm
Evanston, Illinois: For those who are getting ready to shovel, the snow in Illinois was forecast to be the heavy and wet snow that is often called ‘heart attack snow’ because of how physically taxing it can be to shovel it
Washington DC: People walk by the Washington Monument on the National Mall on Sunday