In his second major weather test since taking office on New Year’s Day, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken the extraordinary step of clearing the roads for “New York’s Strongest.” With snowfall rates hitting over one inch per hour and wind gusts reaching 70 mph, officials warn that travel has become “treacherous to impossible.”
The Travel Ban: What You Need to Know
- Timing: The ban is in effect until 12:00 PM on Monday, Feb 23.
- Restrictions: All non-essential cars, trucks, scooters, and e-bikes are restricted from all city-maintained roads.
- Exemptions: Only emergency vehicles, public transit, utility repair crews, and essential workers (with ID) are permitted to travel.
- Enforcement: Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed that State Police are assisting the NYPD in enforcing the ban across the five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester.
A “Classic” Snow Day for Students
Breaking from recent trends of remote learning, Mayor Mamdani announced a full “old-school” snow day for the city’s 1.1 million public school students.
“No online school, no remote learning, full classic snow day,” Mamdani shared in a viral FaceTime video with a student. “My only ask to you is that you stay safe and stay indoors… once that has passed, feel free to go out and sled.”
Storm Impact & Infrastructure
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued the city’s first Blizzard Warning in nine years, forecasting total accumulations of 18 to 24 inches.
- Aviation: Over 6,000 flights have been canceled across JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark hubs.
- Transit: The Staten Island Ferry is on an hourly schedule, and LIRR service was suspended at 1:00 AM Monday. Several subway lines, including the C line, have faced partial suspensions.
- Power: Utilities are on high alert for widespread outages as heavy, wet snow combined with gale-force winds threatens to down power lines.