Much of the East Coast has already been blanketed with snow, or it will be by the end of the day.
Snow began to fall in Washington D.C., on Sunday morning, layering a couple of inches down throughout the day, with additional snow expected on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The frosty front will move up the coast and is expected to dump more than a foot of snow in some areas from Philadelphia through the New England region.
Snow totals just west of Boston are expected to be in the 12-18 inch range, with the city seeing 7-15 inches. As of Monday morning, Philadelphia could see an additional 3 to 7 inches and wind gusts as high as 40 mph. Meteorologists projected New York City could accumulate 20 inches of snow, making it one of the city’s biggest snowstorms.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned New Yorkers to “take it seriously” because “this is a dangerous storm,” adding, “This is not a storm to underestimate.”
New York’s LaGuardia Airport canceled all commercial flights on Monday. However, JFK International Airport remained open.
“Despite the fact that we are forecasting up to 18 inches of snow, these numbers are conservative if you trust the NAM,” the National Weather Service in New York said. “The NAM suggests that 2 ft is reasonable for this event where the heaviest band sets up and where it remains mostly snow.”
De Blasio issued a local emergency declaration barring nonessential travel in the city as of 6 a.m. on Monday with certain exceptions.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy went a similar route declaring a state of emergency as of Sunday evening. He also announced that the state’s bus and rail operations would be suspended on Monday as a result of the impending storm.
The same storm system already deposited 8 inches of snow in Chicago, Illinois, according to the National Weather Service.
