- Written by Madeline Halpert
- BBC News, New York
WATCH: New York's snowiest day in two years
The worst snowstorm in two years has hit the northeastern U.S. coast, blanketing cities with more than a foot of snow and disrupting travel.
Thousands of students in New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts suspended in-person classes on Tuesday and were replaced with online classes.
Approximately 1,200 flights in the United States were canceled, primarily to New York and Boston, and another 2,700 were delayed.
One snowmobiler was killed in the storm in Pennsylvania, police said.
The Newberry County Sheriff's Office said a 20-year-old man riding a snowmobile died after colliding with a broken wire.
Snow began falling rapidly early Tuesday morning from eastern Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, putting nearly 50 million people under winter weather warnings.
Some areas experienced the heaviest snow in years, including Farmington, Connecticut, which recorded 15.5 inches (39 centimeters) of snow.
As of Tuesday morning local time, a snowstorm left 150,000 Pennsylvania residents without power.
The situation made travel dangerous and resulted in minor car accidents in both Boston and New York City. Commercial vehicles are banned from the roads in some areas, but authorities have urged residents to avoid traveling if possible.
Students in New York City had to switch to remote learning, and the district's 900,000 students were plagued by technical issues that prevented them from logging on.
See: The world-famous New York skyline hidden in snow
Mayor Eric Adams defended the decision later in the day, arguing that students have fallen behind during the pandemic and cannot afford to lose any more school days.
New York City Public Schools Superintendent David Banks blamed IBM, which provides login software for online learning, for causing the problem.
“This was a test, and I don't believe we passed this test,” Banks said at a news conference, adding that he was “disappointed, frustrated and angry.”
IBM told US media that the issue was “mostly resolved” and regretted the inconvenience caused to the family.
Tuesday's storm ended a 744-day relative snow drought in New York City, which hasn't seen more than 2.5 inches of snow in more than two years.
Approximately 3.2 inches of snow fell in Central Park, the heaviest snowfall in New York since January 2022.
Snow was once a common occurrence in New York in the winter, but in recent years it has become increasingly rare.
The weather prompted some residents to brave the cold and head to city parks.
Brian Sullivan, a former city planner, told the BBC he has been skiing in Brooklyn's Prospect Park for the past 50 years, including on Tuesday.
Brian Sullivan can't ski much in New York City because of climate change, he says.
He said there is usually seven to 10 days of skiing in the park each year, but that hasn't been the case in recent years.
“Winter is getting shorter. The hot weather lasts longer. Despite the snow, things that shouldn't bloom until late March are blooming now,” he said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the storm began moving east from New York toward Connecticut, Rhode Island, and southern Massachusetts. Up to 30 centimeters of snow reportedly fell in some areas of Pennsylvania.
By Tuesday evening, more than 50,000 customers in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts were still without power, according to poweroutages.us.
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia will also be affected by strong winds and heavy snowfall from this afternoon until Wednesday morning, with some areas expected to receive 5 to 10 inches of snow.
With additional reporting from Phil McCausland
If you would like to speak to a BBC journalist, please include your contact number. You can also contact us by:
If you are reading this page and cannot see the form, please visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your questions or comments, or email HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. When applying, please enter your name, age, and location.
