NEW YORK — A mighty snowstorm swept across the northeastern United States, leaving residents, government employees, and a formidable railroad snow-clearing machine dubbed “Darth Vader” hustling to dig out from beneath the icy deluge. The storm, which shattered records in some areas, caused widespread travel disruptions, including the cancellation of thousands of flights.
As the storm began to move northward and diminish in intensity on Tuesday, meteorologists cautioned that another weather system might soon be on the horizon.
Labelled by experts as the most potent storm in a decade, Monday’s blizzard unleashed over two feet (61 centimeters) of snow in various parts of the Northeast. Rhode Island experienced even more extreme conditions, with snowfall exceeding three feet (91 centimeters), surpassing the historic totals of the Blizzard of 1978, according to the National Weather Service.
By Tuesday morning, signs of recovery began to emerge. Roads were gradually reopening, mass transit systems in several cities resumed operations, and electricity was being restored to many of the hundreds of thousands who lost power in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware, and Rhode Island.
Amtrak made the decision to cancel some of its train services between Boston and New York, as well as between New York and Philadelphia, on Tuesday morning.
Some schools reopening while others stick with online learning
In New York City, where classes were canceled on Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that schools would reopen for in-person learning on Tuesday. This decision raised concerns about the practicality of resuming normal activities with snow still heavily blanketing sidewalks.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said school should remain closed, while Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, described the situation as “a big mess.”
“There’s going to be low attendance of students. You’re going to have low attendance of staff because people don’t know if they can travel, if they can get to schools,” he said.
Spokespersons for Mamdani didn’t respond to an email seeking comment but his schools chief, Chancellor Kamar Samuels, said in a post on X, that they were “confident in our decision to reopen.”
Philadelphia switched to online learning Monday and Tuesday. Districts on Long Island and elsewhere in the New York suburbs said they would cancel school again Tuesday.
Another storm is on the way
The weather service said it’s tracking another storm that could bring more snow to the region later this week. A combination of rain and snow is expected Wednesday, with up to a couple of inches of possible snow.
While the new storm is not expected to be as strong, even a few extra inches of snow on top of hard-hit areas could make cleanup more difficult, said Frank Pereira, meteorologist for the weather service in College Park, Maryland.
“Any additional snow at this point is probably not going to be welcome,” he said.
Bomb cyclone cancels thousands of flights
The weather service referred to Monday’s storm as a “classic bomb cyclone/nor’easter off the Northeast coast.” A bomb cyclone happens when a storm’s pressure falls by a certain amount within a 24-hour period, occurring mainly in the fall and winter when frigid Arctic air can reach the south and clash with warmer temperatures.
More than 2,000 flights in and out of the United States were canceled Tuesday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Most of the cancellations involved airports in New York, New Jersey and Boston.
Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport paused its airport operations Monday as it dealt with nearly 38 inches (97 centimeters) of snow, according to the Weather Service, breaking a record of 28.6 inches (72.6 centimeters) set in 1978. The pause continued through Tuesday morning as the airport assessed conditions.
Central Park in New York City recorded 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow. Warwick, Rhode Island, exceeded 3 feet (91 centimeters), topping the nation so far. The highest wind gust of 84 mph (135 kph) was recorded in Montauk Point, New York.
New York, Philadelphia and other cities, as well as several states, declared emergencies.
The Boston Globe management called off printing its daily newspaper for the first time in its more than 150-year history because snow and winds kept staff from safely getting to its printing plant, the newspaper said in an article on its website.
Christa Prince and two others were out in Brooklyn on Monday afternoon with shovels and an electric snowblower.
“We’re just making a path for this car,” Prince said. “It’s not our car but you know, we’re just doing our neighbor a kind deed.”
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Izaguirre reported from Albany, New York and Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. Associated Press writers Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; Mark Kennedy and Mike Sisak in New York; Darlene Superville in Washington; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Philip Marcelo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.
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