A fast-intensifying nor’easter is forecast to target New York City and much of the Northeast from Sunday afternoon into Monday, with blizzard warnings posted for parts of the region, including the first blizzard warning for New York City in nine years, and emergency declarations from Delaware to New Jersey. The storm is expected to bring heavy snow, wind gusts reaching the mid-50s mph, and coastal flooding across a densely populated corridor, with conditions deteriorating through Monday evening.
NYC’s First Blizzard Warning Since 2017
The National Weather Service office in Upton, New York, issued a Blizzard Warning for the New York City region, southeast New York, and southern Connecticut, in effect from 1 PM Sunday to 6 PM EST Monday. The warning criteria reflect expectations of sustained snowfall combined with visibility dropping to a quarter-mile or less, conditions that can make travel extremely dangerous and sharply reduce visibility for anyone outdoors. This is the first time the Weather Service has placed New York City under a blizzard warning since 2017, according to reporting on the advisory, underscoring how rare such high-impact winter events have been in the city over the past decade.
That nine-year gap matters because it means millions of residents and commuters in the metro area have limited recent experience with true blizzard conditions, where the danger comes not just from snow depth but from the combination of high winds and near-zero visibility persisting for hours. The local forecast discussion details rapid intensification of the storm system, with meteorologists flagging the potential for intense snow banding and even thundersnow, both of which can dump extreme localized totals in short windows. For a region where even moderate snowfall snarls transit, the forecast profile suggests the Monday morning commute could be severely disrupted across parts of the five boroughs and surrounding suburbs, with blowing snow potentially reducing visibility and re-covering cleared roadways.
New Jersey Declares Statewide Emergency
New Jersey Governor Sherrill declared a statewide emergency across all 21 counties, effective at noon on February 22, in preparation for blizzard conditions, heavy snow, gusts up to the mid-50s mph, and coastal flooding. The declaration activates emergency powers that allow the state to mobilize resources, restrict travel on state roads, and coordinate response across agencies before the worst of the storm arrives rather than reacting after the fact. It also clears the way for deploying the National Guard, pre-positioning utility crews, and arranging shelter space if prolonged power outages or evacuations become necessary.
New Jersey’s position directly in the storm’s path makes the statewide scope of the declaration significant. Coastal communities face a dual threat: wind-driven snow and tidal flooding that could compound damage along the Shore, where barrier islands and back bays are particularly sensitive to storm surge during astronomical high tides. Inland areas, meanwhile, are bracing for accumulations heavy enough to down trees and power lines, especially when combined with sustained winds that can turn already saturated ground into a tipping point for root systems. The timing of the noon Sunday effective date gives residents time to finalize preparations before conditions are expected to worsen later Sunday, a window officials are urging people to use for fueling vehicles, charging devices, and checking on vulnerable neighbors.
New York City Agencies Mobilize for Impact
New York City Emergency Management issued a hazardous travel advisory covering Sunday, February 22 through Monday, February 23, urging New Yorkers to stay off roads as the city deploys salt spreaders and plows at full capacity. The advisory specifically names Jamaica Bay and Staten Island among the areas facing coastal flooding risk, zones that have historically been vulnerable during nor’easters and where storm surge can inundate low-lying streets and transit infrastructure. Officials are warning that even four-wheel-drive vehicles can have difficulty on unplowed side streets once winds begin drifting snow across traffic lanes.
The city’s challenge goes beyond snow removal. Coastal flooding in Jamaica Bay and along Staten Island’s eastern shore can disrupt subway service, strand vehicles, and force evacuations in neighborhoods that sit only a few feet above sea level, where drainage systems are quickly overwhelmed by a combination of surge and heavy precipitation. With wind gusts forecast to reach the mid-50s mph, the risk of power outages compounds the transportation disruption, raising concerns about residents in high-rise buildings losing heat and elevator service. Residents in flood-prone areas face a narrow window to secure property and, if necessary, relocate before conditions make travel dangerous, and city agencies are emphasizing that emergency responders may not be able to reach some areas once the worst of the storm is underway.
Delaware to Connecticut: A Regional Emergency
The storm’s footprint extends well beyond the New York metro area. Delaware’s Emergency Management Agency confirmed that blizzard-like conditions are expected along the state’s coast, with heavy snow, strong winds, and coastal flooding all in the forecast. The state activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the response, a step that signals officials view the storm as a serious multi-hazard event rather than a routine winter weather system. That activation allows state agencies, local governments, and utility providers to share real-time information and accelerate decisions on road closures, evacuations, and resource deployment.
The geographic breadth of the warnings, stretching from Delaware’s coast through New Jersey, New York City, southeast New York, and into southern Connecticut, reflects a storm track that forecasters at the National Weather Service describe as rapidly deepening along the Atlantic coast. When a nor’easter intensifies this quickly, it tends to produce a tight gradient between heavy precipitation and extreme winds, exactly the combination that defines blizzard conditions. For the roughly 30 million people living in the warning corridor, the practical effect is the same regardless of state lines: travel will be hazardous to impossible for an extended period, power outages are likely, and coastal communities face flooding that could persist through multiple tidal cycles. Regional coordination is therefore critical, with states sharing information on shelter capacity, highway conditions, and mutual aid for utility restoration.
What Sets This Storm Apart
Most coverage of approaching nor’easters focuses on snowfall totals, but the defining threat from this system is the duration and overlap of hazards. Meteorologists at NOAA’s umbrella agencies emphasize that blizzard criteria center on visibility and wind, not just depth of snow, meaning that even moderate accumulations can become far more dangerous when combined with sustained gusts over 35 mph. In this case, forecast guidance points to many hours of near-whiteout conditions, during which emergency services could face delays reaching stranded motorists or medical calls in heavily impacted neighborhoods.
While individual storms cannot be directly attributed to long-term climate trends, rapidly deepening low-pressure systems like this can intensify quickly when atmospheric and ocean conditions align. For residents from Delaware to Connecticut, the immediate takeaway is less about climatology and more about preparation: officials are urging people to avoid nonessential travel, assemble emergency kits with food, water, medications, and flashlights, and stay tuned to local forecasts and official channels as the nor’easter intensifies and its exact impacts come into sharper focus.
More from Morning Overview
*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
