Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano assesses the snowstorm and its impact on the city.
Mark Vergari/lohud
Stella is is a nor’easter – but what does that mean exactly?
Wochit
Time lapse video shows heavy snow covering lawns and roads in Rockland Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
Peter Carr/The Journal News
Heavy snowfall hits Northern Westchester during the Blizzard of 2017. Ricky Flores/lohud
The snow is supposed to keep falling until 8 p.m. or so, but people are already trying to dig out.
Wochit
Before the sun came out, there were already several inches on the ground, March 14, 2017.
Wochit
You know, the snow is serene unless to you have to work in it, you’re stuck in it or you have to clean it by hand.
Wochit
The transportation hub in the center of Manhattan typically handles 750,000 weekday commuters. Except when there’s a blizzard in the forecast. A look at GCT on March 14, 2017.
Wochit
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the storm has tracked differently than expected, which could make for a dangerous commute.
Wochit
Public transit is at a virtual standstill as a massive storm sweeps through the area, and Interstate 84 is closed for all non-essential travel.
Metro-North service has been suspended, effective at noon. Buses on both sides of the Hudson are also sidelined for the day.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which also scaled back subway and Long Island Railroad service, said the Metro-North suspension was due to “increasing winds and heavy snow accumulations.”
“Getting customers to their destination safely is our top priority,” Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti said in a statement, adding that blowing winds and accumulating snow will make it increasingly hard to keep the third rail clear and power running smoothly for the entire day.
Before announcing a complete closure, the railroad ran on a limited, Sunday schedule.
“The railroads are seeing very significant low ridership,” said MTA Interim Executive Director Veronique Hakim shortly after 10 a.m. “Literally 10 or 15 percent of what we would normally see on a weekday.”
Hakim said there were 4,600 people working to make sure there would be a normal morning rush hour on the agency’s commuter railroads Wednesday morning.
Metro-North service is not often suspended. The last time the railroad suspended service was after the Park Avenue viaduct fire last May that weakened the supports that hold the track over Park Avenue in East Harlem.
On Amtrak, there is no Acela Express service between New York and Boston with modified service between New York and Washington. Northeast Regional service between Boston and Washington is running on a modified schedule.
Roads
As of 1 p.m., there is a total travel ban on Interstate 84, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference on Long Island shortly before noon. Cuomo had previously banned tractor trailers on Interstates 81, 84, 88 and 86/Route 17. Those tractor trailer bans are still in place.
The bans come after Cuomo imposed a state of emergency for all 62 of New York’s counties. He urged residents not to travel if they didn’t have to.
Overall, Cuomo said at a Tuesday morning press conference, New Yorkers have listened to the warnings and stayed inside, which has helped first responders and work crews.
“Stay inside, view this through the window. It looks beautiful through the window. When you step outside it’s not as beautiful. Trust me,” Cuomo said. “The lower volume will help us to do our job today.”
In neighboring Connecticut, Gov. Dannel Malloy’s storm orders include a travel ban for non-emergency personnel.
“We have 5,000 plows out, 2,000 National Guard,” Cuomo said on MSNBC Tuesday morning. “We’ve been through this a number of times, so we’re prepared for it.”
Buses
Both Rockland County’s Transport of Rockland and Westchester’s Bee-Line bus services are suspended for Tuesday. Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said he expected Bee-Line bus service would resume Wednesday; Rockland officials say they hope to do the same.
Airports
At Westchester County Airport, 53 flights have been canceled according to flight tracking website FlightAware, including nearly all the flights out of the county-owned airport. At John F. Kennedy International Airport, 762 flights were canceled, at LaGuardia Airport 864 were cancelled and 1,015 at Newark Liberty International Airport.
“Airports are basically closed – LaGuardia and JFK. Government is basically closed, schools are basically closed, so there’s no real reason to be on the roads, and we made that clear yesterday,” Cuomo said.
Twitter: @coynereports
As Winter Storm Stella pounds the Northeast, travelers are facing long delays and cancellations.
USA TODAY
Transportation: I-84 travel ban, Metro-North and buses suspended – The Journal News | LoHud.com