A gigantic winter storm that hit the northeastern United States this Monday (02.01.2021) canceled thousands of flights, closed schools and suspended vaccination against COVID-19 in New York, which is facing possibly one of the largest snowfalls in its history.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a storm watch from Virginia to Maine, home to tens of millions of people, as massive snowfall with winds of up to 80 km / h fell in New York, New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency in the city of 8.6 million inhabitants, where more than 50 cm of snow is expected.
Restricted movements
He also ordered the closure of schools Monday and Tuesday and restricted non-essential travel. This year, however, not as many people are affected as many students attend online classes and thousands of employees work from home in the wake of the pandemic.
De Blasio also suspended COVID vaccination appointments until Tuesday included and prohibited restaurants from serving customers at tables located outside.
“This is a dangerous situation, where there is a risk of death (…) If they are not essential workers, stay at home,” asked New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
A man delivers food on his electric bike as he walks past snow-covered dining tables in downtown New York.
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New York was still under snow
The snowfall, which began Sunday night, reached 13 inches in Central Park on Monday afternoon, will continue to fall through Tuesday afternoon and could reach 60 cm, according to the weather service.
“If we exceed 50 cm it will be one of the 10 biggest snow storms in New York City,” said Matthew Wunsch, a NWS meteorologist in the city.
The current record dates from January 2016, when it snowed almost 70 cm in three days.
Canceled flights
The three airports in New York and its metropolitan area canceled the vast majority of flights, according to the Flight Aware site. More than 1,600 flights were canceled across the country, mostly in Boston, New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency and ordered the suspension of public transportation throughout the state.
“This storm will get worse before it gets better,” Murphy tweeted, reporting that six large covid vaccination centers will remain closed on Tuesday.
Washington DC was also covered in heavy snow. The NWS predicts that the snow cover can reach up to 20 cm in the area of the federal capital and Baltimore, in Maryland.
Thousands of DC school students were due to return to school in person on Monday for the first time since March, but their return was postponed to Tuesday.
Due to the storm, US President Joe Biden postponed a planned visit to the State Department, and Congress restricted its activities.
Snow completely covers the mythical Times Square in New York, this Monday (02.01.2021).
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At the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, giant pandas took the opportunity to frolic in the snow and dart down slopes, while children and adults made snowmen and took photos next to the monuments of the National Mall.
Philadelphia also in emergency
The city of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, also declared a state of emergency, closed government buildings and asked its residents to remove their cars from certain streets to be able to sweep snow.
The storm, which left snowfall of up to 1.8 meters and heavy rains in mountainous areas of California last week, then moved towards the Midwest, especially affecting Chicago, which recorded about 20 cm of snow.
The storm is expected to hit Maine on Tuesday, where it can drop between 8 and 13 inches of snow.
jc (afp, efe, ap, reuters)
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