Millions bracing for powerful nor’easter

Millions in the U.S. are bracing for a powerful nor’easter storm in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

“A strong nor’easter will be rapidly pushing east and away from the Mid-Atlantic coast this morning and well out to sea by later today,” the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Weather Prediction Center said in a forecast discussion Tuesday.

“The storm will continue to rapidly deepen and will promote areas of snow, or rain changing to snow early this morning across south-central to eastern Pennsylvania, central and northern New Jersey, and southern New England,” the forecast discussion continued.

More than 1,000 flights in the U.S. have been canceled Tuesday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. 

New York City experienced its first major snowstorm in two years, according to The Associated Press. Mayor Eric Adams (D) warned New Yorkers against underestimating the storm. 

“Let’s allow Mother Nature to do its thing,” Adams said. “The name of the game is to keep our roadways clear, and we’re hoping that people use public transportation or if they can stay home, please do so.”

Adams also pushed back against criticism of the city’s school system shifting to remote learning amid the storm, per the AP.

“And so using this as a teaching moment to have our children learn how to continue the expansion of remote learning is so important,” Adams said to WPIX-TV. “We fell back in education because of COVID. We cannot afford our young people to miss school days.”

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) ordered the closure of all executive branch office buildings Tuesday.

“The timing of winter storm is of particular concern, especially considering that snowfall rates are expected to be heavy during the morning rush hour commute and continue through the afternoon,” Lamont said, according to the AP.

The Associated Press contributed.