A large snowstorm brought disorder to the United States’ east coast Monday, canceling thousands of flights, closing schools, and demanding the postponement of coronavirus vaccinations as New York City steeled itself for possibly one of its most onerous ever snowfalls.
The National Weather Service (NWS) announced storm warnings from Virginia to Maine, home to tens of millions of people, as heavy snow combined with wind gusts up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour pushed blizzard-like conditions along the eastern seaboard.
New York declared a “state of emergency” that prevented non-essential travel, moved all children back to remote learning, and rescheduled long-awaited vaccine shots as the city braced for almost two feet (60 centimeters) of snow.
In Washington, where snow and ice accumulated since Sunday, President Joe Biden postponed a listed visit to the State Department due to the conditions. The capital pushed back until Tuesday a planned return to school for tens of thousands of children who have been studying at home for almost a year because of the pandemic.
The heavy snowfall also struck New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Connecticut. New Jersey declared a state of emergency, allowing authorities to close roads, evacuate homes, and commandeer tools needed for public safety.
Philadelphia also announced a snow emergency, closing city government buildings for Monday and ordering residents to move their cars off snow emergency ways so the plows can get through. The storm struck mountainous parts of California with more than six feet of snow and heavy rain last week. It then traveled to the Midwest, dumping about eight inches of snow in Chicago.
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