Winter storm live updates for NYC and Tri-State Area as snow, sleet and dangerous cold take over
By Mark Prussin
What to know as NYC and Tri-State Area get hit by major winter storm
- A dangerous winter storm is hitting the New York City area Sunday, causing heavy snow and sleet. NYC’s highest snow total so far is 13.5″ inches in East Elmhurst, Queens. More than a foot is on the ground in the Hudson Valley, Long Island and northern New Jersey.
- New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are under states of emergency as their governors warned people not to travel, since roads may also get icy as the storm progresses.
- New York City’s major airports are reporting more than 2,700 canceled flights, so far, and LaGuardia has been shut down. The MTA says NYC subways and buses continue to operate, and bus riders should plan for delays. NJ Transit is suspended for the day.
- New York City public schools will have remote classes on Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed after he ruled out a snow day.
- The mayor himself was spotted help shoveling a car out of the snow, and joked “no task too big and no job too small.”
NYPD says there’s been an additional death Sunday
At his news conference Sunday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said five New Yorkers were found dead outside Saturday, adding that the medical examiner would determine their cause of death. He said authorities did not believe the five were homeless.
On Sunday, the NYPD said it found another body, for a total of six.
By Jesse Zanger
DSNY deputy commissioner says roads will be “in good shape” Monday morning
New York City streets will be in good shape Monday, but drivers should still use caution, Department of Sanitation Deputy Commissioner Joshua Goodman said.
Speaking to CBS News New York by phone, Goodman urged New Yorkers to stay off the roads Sunday night so that crews can do their jobs. He said a new 12-hour shift started at 6 p.m. Sunday, and those crews will work through the night to clear streets.
“When you get up in the morning, there will still be snow out there, but the roads are gonna be in good shape. They will be open. They will be passable,” Goodman said.
That being said, Goodman stressed that New Yorkers should still drive cautiously and stay home if possible.
“I really wanna emphasize, no matter how good [roads] look, please drive safely. There will still be a lot of snow and a lot of ice out there,” he said. “We’re confident people can get where they need to go, but they should only go where they need to go.”
By Katie Houlis
Monday will be a snow day for White Plains students
Most northern suburban school districts, including White Plains, will have a snow day Monday due to Sunday’s intense storm.
“Snow days for children, when you’re a child, they’re magic. And if we can provide that for them and maintain a safe environment, we’re going to do that,” White Plains Superintendent Dr. Joseph Ricca said. “We build in three weather emergency days into each calendar.”
The real question is will roads be clear by Tuesday? County Executive Ken Jenkins said the bands of snow will mean tons of it will be carted away.
“There’s not a place to put that snow so now you’re gonna have to have folks move the snow around, find a place to put that so things won’t be as convenient as normal,” Jenkins said.
NY preps for the worst as monster snowstorm takes aim at entire state
New York State Team
Updated Jan. 24, 2026, 9:50 p.m. ET
State and local leaders were readying plows and urging New Yorkers to stay inside as the Empire State braced for a brutal combination of arctic cold and heavy snow this coming weekend.
Gov. Kathy Hochul preemptively declared a state of emergency on Friday, Jan. 23, with subzero wind chills approaching and a storm set to start early Sunday that was expected to dump up to a foot or more of snow on much of the state. The entire state was in its crosshairs.
“By tomorrow night we’ll be experiencing some of the most dangerous cold we’ve seen in years,” Hochul said at a briefing, citing wind chill forecasts as low as negative 50 in the state’s northernmost areas. “And even in downstate,” she added, “the temperature will feel like minus 10 in the Hudson Valley, minus 10 in New York City and Long Island. And that is not something that part of our state is accustomed to.”
Across the state, county and local officials were preparing to clear roads of snowfall levels unseen in the relatively mild winters of the last few years. With plenty of advance time to plan for the coming storm, they said their plows and workers were ready and had ample salt supplies to spread once the roads were passable.
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus was expecting at least a foot of snow in his part of the Hudson Valley, and as much as two feet. But he was optimistic about the plans, saying the county had spare trucks and drivers to lend its municipalities and would have a team that includes utility representatives on hand in the county’s emergency center on Sunday.
“We feel like we’re completely ready for this storm,” Neuhaus told the USA TODAY Network by phone.Storm prompts grocery frenzy: Westchester residents storm stores anticipating massive snow
In neighboring Rockland County, the full workforce of 45 in the county highway department was expected to report to duty on Sunday, manning 25 plows to clear 170 miles of county roadway. Superintendent of Highways Charles “Skip” Vezzetti said Rockland had a year and a half worth of salt at the ready — enough for the county to share with any towns and villages whose road crews ran short.
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“We’re in really good shape,” Vezzetti told the USA TODAY Network.NY’s state of emergency: State of Emergency declared in NY ahead of massive winter storm
Recalling the Buffalo blizzard of 2022
Hochul, a Buffalo native, was asked about the deadly blizzard that struck her home city and the surrounding area in 2022, dropping nearly four feet of snow and resulting in at least 47 deaths. Many who died were trapped in their cars during the fast-moving storm, while others couldn’t be reached after suffering medical emergencies at home.
“We’ll never lose sight of that horrible tragedy,” Hochul said. “It’s seared in my heart and my memory as a brand new governor when that unfolded. And so I’m also concerned about reminding people that you need to stay indoors.”
One hopeful sign in the forecast, she said, was the absence of strong, sustained winds that whip snow into “whiteout” conditions that blind drivers. Another was that “light, fluffy snow” in such low temperatures, coupled with an expected snowfall rate of 1-2 inches per hour, didn’t pose the same risk of power outages as when wet, heavy snow drags down power lines.
By contrast, the Buffalo blizzard fell so fast it dumped as much as six inches per hour.Sign up for weather texts in NYC area: Sign up for text message updates for winter storms in NYC-metro area
Keeping cars off the roads in Yonkers
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins declared a state of emergency in his county that would start at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, and extend for five days, a recourse that enables the county to hustle aid to its municipalities if needed. At a webcast storm briefing with other county officials, he said he was expecting at least six inches and as much as 18, along with “near whiteout conditions.”
Susan Spear, Westchester’s commissioner of emergency services, said the heaviest snowfall was expected to fall Sunday afternoon. The county’s preparations included staffing additional 911 dispatchers to take calls during and after the storm.
“Westchester County’s departments are experienced in preparing for and responding to winter storms,” she said. “But this one is going to be a big one.”
In Yonkers, Westchester’s largest city, Mayor Mike Spano had declared his own state of emergency and was urging residents to move cars off the roads and into driveways or one of 12 parking lots the city had made available.
Yonkers, a city of 211,000, had 54 plows set to push snow on 654 miles of roads, and any vehicles left in their path can cause major problems, Spano said. He recalled a past storm in which the city was later forced to spend $5 million to remove snow that couldn’t immediately be cleared and froze on top of cars.
The best course for residents, Spano said, was to stay home and thrown on a movie.
“This is a Sunday storm,” he said. “There’s no reason to go out.”
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