‘Historic’ Blizzard to Hit East Coast

A potentially “historic and destructive” winter storm and blizzard could dump as much as 3 feet of snow on the Northeast starting Monday, with affected areas including New York City, coastal New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for New York City beginning Monday afternoon as well as in Boston, Providence, and the Cape Cod area beginning Monday night. The service also warned of life-threatening conditions and advised people to avoid travel. Airlines have started offering fee-free rebooking from the Northeast on Monday and have canceled more than 3,200 flights through Tuesday, according to FlightAware.com. United Airlines has canceled all Tuesday flights at Newark, LaGuardia, JFK, Boston, and Philadelphia, according to company spokeswoman Mary Ryan.

On Sunday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called on New Yorkers to “prepare for something worse” than they’ve ever seen, adding, “Now is the time to get ready.” Meanwhile, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged commuters to stay home Monday, adding that roads and public transit in the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Long Island may be closed due to blizzard conditions. The storm will bring with it 20 to 30 inches of snow, wind gusts of up to 65 miles per hour, and is not expected to let up until Wednesday morning.