(NEW YORK) — A major winter storm is making post-Christmas road travel extremely dangerous in parts of the Northeast, and bringing snow and ice to the New York City area.
The storm is also impacting flights. More than 1,500 flights were canceled on Friday, with New York City’s three airports and the Philadelphia International Airport hit the hardest.
More than 500 flights were canceled on Saturday.
New Jersey and New York were under state of emergencies.
“Please continue to monitor your local forecast, avoid unnecessary travel and if you must travel, take all necessary precautions to ensure you arrive safely,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
Heavy snow is expected to hit parts of New York, eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, western Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The heaviest snow began moving into the tristate area Friday afternoon and will continue through the night, making travel difficult from Philadelphia to New York City to Albany, New York.
The snow began reaching New York City around 5 p.m. Friday and was expected to continue overnight, ending around 7 a.m. Earlier, New York City was forecast to get about 7 inches of snow — which would have been the most snow in nearly four years.
However, the National Weather Service later revised its forecast saying the mix of precipitation had shifted further northeast, lowering the expected snowfall totals around New York City and northeast New Jersey.
Instead, the New York City area was expected to see between 2 to 5 inches with some spots seeing 6 inches especially to the north. A “glaze of ice” from freezing rain was also expected.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called it a “significant snow event” and said plows would be hitting the streets later Friday night.
Six to 10 inches of snow is possible from upstate New York to Long Island.
Philadelphia can expect 1 to 3 inches of snow along with a glaze of ice, making travel challenging on Friday night.
On Friday morning, the freezing rain moved into Pennsylvania and covered roads across the state with dangerous ice. An ice storm warning is in place in parts of western Pennsylvania, where numerous power outages and downed trees are possible.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
