A severe winter storm hit the northeastern United States on Monday, but in this pandemic era, classes were not affected but the coronavirus vaccination campaign, as many sites had to close due to inclement weather.
The storm is moving through the northeast of the country, but “it will do it very slowly” and will cause strong winds and heavy snowfall, estimated Lara Pagano, a meteorologist with the National Meteorological Service. “It will be a prolonged phenomenon,” he predicted.
By Monday morning several areas had already received between 7 and 12 centimeters (between 3 and 5 inches) of snow and 15 centimeters (6 inches) fell in parts of Pennsylvania. In parts of New Jersey, they fell 17 centimeters (7 inches).
Face-to-face classes were canceled and many vaccination centers closed. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking to MSNBC broadcaster, expressed hope that the vaccination centers will reopen Tuesday.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency on Sunday and ordered the closure of all public facilities except essential ones.
Thousands of flights were canceled across the region. At LaGuardia Airport in New York, 81% of flights were canceled and at Newark they were 75%.
Amtrak canceled its Acela train service between Boston and Washington, and the Pennsylvanian service did the same for its routes between New York and Pittsburgh.
All New Jersey trains and buses suspended service except for the Atlantic City Rail Line. Other routes were underperforming, such as Northeast Regional, Keystone Service, and Empire Service. The New York Waterway ferries suspended their services.
A few days ago there was a winter storm that covered the north-central part of the country with snow. There were also snowfalls in Ohio, Washington DC and Virginia.
The storm forced President Joe Biden to suspend a visit to the State Department headquarters on Monday. The visit will take place later in the week when department employees can come to the office, a White House official reported.
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