Children across parts of the US northeast will stay home today as a powerful winter storm forced school closures and pushed offices and transit systems onto emergency schedules, with officials across the region warning of heavy snow, strong winds and dangerous travel conditions.
Storm Hernando has already disrupted travel along the east coast from Washington to New England, with airlines cancelling thousands of flights and officials urging people to stay off the roads.
Winter weather in the northeast may also slow the processing, transport and delivery of mail and packages, the US Postal Service said.
New York City, the nation's largest school district, ordered all public school buildings closed for a traditional snow day, with no remote instruction and all after-school programs cancelled.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a state of emergency and ordered non-essential vehicles off city roads until noon, saying snow ploughs and emergency crews needed the streets clear as snowfall intensified.
The city is under its first blizzard warning since 2017.
City offices will close for in-person services, and non-essential municipal employees may work remotely.
"I'm urging every New Yorker to please stay home," Mr Mamdani said.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani declares state of emergency:
Regional emergencies
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said she had activated 100 National Guard members to assist in Long Island, New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley - areas expected to bear the brunt of the heavy snow and coastal winds.
The storm also forced closure of the UN headquarters complex in Manhattan.
Parts of the northeast could see up to two feet of snow and wind gusts could reach 112 kilometres per hour, raising the risk of falling trees and power outages, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey declared an emergency and told state workers to stay home.
Connecticut barred commercial vehicles from limited-access highways, exempting only emergency and essential deliveries.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state wide emergency effective and urged residents to take the storm seriously.
"People need to take this very seriously," she told CNN.
Air travel was among the earliest casualties. Flight-tracking site FlightAware showed more than 5,000 flights had already been canceled.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium said more than 25,000 flights were scheduled to depart from the United States, with cancellations also rising for tomorrow, especially at major northeast airports.
