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Curfew in New York City as severe winter storm approaches

The NWS is forecasting 45 to 60 cm of snow in the city, and possibly up to 70 cm in some areas, as well as strong winds.

Cold in NY

Cold in NYAFP.

Williams Perdomo
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New York City on Monday closed schools and ordered drivers to avoid the roads ahead of a violent snowstorm sweeping across the northeastern part of the country.

The National Weather Service said blizzard conditions will "materialize rapidly" from Maryland to southeastern New England, making travel "extremely hazardous."

As he said, snow could fall at a rate of between five and nearly eight centimeters per hour at the height of the storm, with nearly 54 million people in its path.

By this Monday morning, the storm had already begun to lash New York, reducing visibility to such an extent that Wall Street skyscrapers were barely visible from the adjoining borough of Brooklyn.

Power outages are likely due to the heavy snow and strong wind gusts, forecasters said.

As of 01H39 local time (06H39 GMT) Monday, about 80,000 customers were without power in the state of New Jersey, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us.

Meanwhile, more than 5,000 flights were canceled, flight-tracking site FlightAware said Monday.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said streets, highways and bridges would be closed from 9 p.m. Sunday until noon Monday.

The NWS warned that heavy snow, strong winds and low visibility "would lead to hazardous or impossible travel conditions."

Forty-five to 60 inches of snow forecast for the city

The NWS is forecasting 45 to 60 cm of snow in the city, and possibly up to 70 cm in some areas, as well as strong winds.

Schools and colleges will be closed Monday in New York and the city arranged resources and means to go to the aid of people in need of shelter, Mamdani detailed.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency on Sunday, which frees up funds and allows for the rapid deployment of resources to deal with the weather crisis.

In Boston, they are likewise preparing for extreme weather conditions and a "snow alert" was declared. There, up to 60 cm of snow is expected, Mayor Michelle Wu said Sunday, adding that this storm will be of historic magnitude.

The conditions could make travel impossible along I-95, north from Baltimore to Boston, and which also connects New York and Philadelphia, the NWS added.

The storm comes weeks after this same region suffered another devastating weather system event that caused more than 100 deaths.
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