New York City’s Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has issued a travel ban across the city in anticipation of an intense blizzard expected to hit on Sunday.
During a press conference, Mayor Mamdani declared a state of emergency ahead of the impending winter storm. He announced that all city streets, highways, and bridges will be off-limits to non-emergency vehicles starting from 9 p.m. on Sunday, lasting until noon on Monday.
This comprehensive travel restriction affects all modes of transportation, including cars, trucks, scooters, and e-bikes. Only essential emergency travel and critical service workers are exempt from this ban.
The entire Northeast is bracing for the impact of this powerful bomb cyclone, which could bring up to 2 feet of snow along the I-95 corridor. Weather experts have cautioned residents to prepare for wind gusts reaching 70 mph and potential widespread power outages as the historic storm strengthens through Sunday night.
In an image, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani can be seen addressing the media about the city’s preparations for the approaching winter storm. (Photo credit: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
By Sunday afternoon, the severe weather had already led to the cancellation of over 7,000 flights across the Northeast region.
New York City, Boston and Philadelphia are all projected to receive between 18 and 24 inches of snow.
The nation’s capital is still expected to see 5-8 inches, along with nearby Baltimore, whose projections have come down overnight.
Blizzard warnings currently are in place for 29 million Americans.
New York City on Saturday put out a call for emergency snow shovelers ahead of the storm.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for New York City, and Mamdani announced outreach teams have been mobilized.
The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) announced Saturday it is recruiting temporary, per diem shovelers to remove snow and ice from public areas, including bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants and step streets.
Snow in Prospect Park in Brooklyn on Jan. 17, 2026. (Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
While pay is generous, starting at $19.14 per hour and increasing to $28.71 per hour after the first 40 hours worked in a week, workers must meet a number of requirements to be eligible.
Shovelers must be at least 18 years old, able to perform heavy physical labor and eligible to work in the U.S., according to the department.
