Maps show winter storm forecast to bring snow, blizzard conditions to East Coast

Thirty-five million people are under blizzard warnings as a winter storm is forecast to pummel the East Coast with heavy snow and fierce winds.

Maps show blizzard warnings for New York City, New Jersey and coastal communities along the East Coast as a late-winter storm set to arrive on Sunday threatened to make a mess of the start of a new week. 

"While we do get plenty of these nor'easters that produce heavy snow and strong impacts, it's been several years since we saw one of this magnitude across this large of a region in this very populated part of the country," said Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the service's Weather Prediction Center.

New York City could be hit especially hard, as this is the first time in nine years that a blizzard warning has been issued for the Big Apple. Meteorologists forecast 12-18 inches of snow accumulation in the metro area.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged New Yorkers to stay inside and off the roads for the duration of the storm. This is the new mayor's second major snowstorm of his administration. During the previous storm, 19 people died during brutally cold weather that lasted more than three weeks. 

New York City was loading up more than 700 salt spreaders and turning more than 2,000 garbage trucks into snowplows. Mamdani was also offering to hire residents to clear sidewalks.

"You too can become an emergency snow shoveler," Mamdani said in a news conference Saturday. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Saturday ahead of the nor'easter and activated about 100 members of the National Guard. 

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also declared a state of emergency starting Sunday at noon, saying he expects "severe blizzard conditions across our state."

"So I am urging you to make plans to stay off the roads Sunday through Monday," Sherill said in a news conference Saturday. 

The National Weather Service also issued a blizzard warning for parts of southern New England — its first in four years. CBS Boston said the storm is forecast to hit the city and surrounding areas Sunday night through Monday afternoon. 

Maps show a rapidly changing storm system

The National Weather Service increased its assessment of the potential severity of a storm that had been projected to be less ferocious only days earlier.

The weather service said 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in many areas as it issued blizzard warnings for New York City, Long Island, southern Connecticut and coastal communities in New Jersey and Delaware. Snowfall totals upwards of 6-18 inches are possible across the Northeast. Lower snowfall amounts are expected in the Mid-Atlantic area.

Flooding was also possible in parts of New York and New Jersey, the weather service said.

CBS News meteorologist Andrew Kozak said that several major Northeast cities under blizzard warnings on Sunday, including New York City and Boston, "will have a combination of wind blowing snow, and reduced visibilities that are going to be very dangerous across the next 24 to 48 hours."

Kozak forecast that conditions would take a turn for the worse beginning Sunday afternoon and continue into the Sunday evening hours.

"By Sunday afternoon, colder air rushes in, the snow starts to pile up, and very, very quickly," Kozak said. 

The weather service said the storm could arrive quietly on Sunday with rainfall in some places before worsening, with the heaviest snowfall expected Sunday night. Snowfall rates up to 1-2 inches per hour are expected by Sunday night, with higher rates over 2 inches per hour possible. 

The weather service warned that the storm, with steady winds of 25 to 35 mph, would "make travel dangerous, if not impossible. Scattered downed tree limbs and power outages are possible due to snow load and strong winds." The National Weather Service predicted difficult travel conditions across the region.

On Saturday, officials in Atlantic City, New Jersey, urged residents and casino visitors to stay off streets during the storm, especially in low-lying neighborhoods prone to flooding.

"I could go on and on probably with a good two dozen streets where we know we will get water and there will be snow on top of that, said Scott Evans, the city's fire chief and emergency management coordinator. "So you won't be able to see it until it's too late, so therefore please stay at home."

The storm approached just as the icy remains of a snowstorm that struck the region weeks earlier were finally melting away. 

Airlines cancel flights in region

Delta announced Saturday that it has cancelled flights for Sunday and Monday at New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK and Boston. Customers headed to East Coast airports have flexible options to rebook. 

There are more than 2,700 flights cancelled on Sunday, according to flight tracker FlightAware, with the majority scheduled to arrive or leave from the New York City metro area. Delta cancelled 303 flights, while JetBlue cancelled 426 flights and American Airlines cancelled 333 flights, according to FlightAware. 

Monday showed more than 3,000 cancelled flights, according to FlightAware, with JetBlue canceling 687 flights, Delta canceling 443 flights and American canceling 521 flights, primarily in New York City and Boston airports.  

In a statement provided to CBS News Saturday night, JetBlue said it had canceled a total of about 1,200 flights that were scheduled between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday, with more cancellations expected.  

"The safety of our customers and crewmembers is our first priority, and we will continue to track the storm to determine if additional operational adjustments will be required," JetBlue said.