Up to Thirty Inches of Snow Now Predicted in Region

This page will be updated as we learn more about the worsening weather conditions for the East Coast.

It's bad, and getting worse.

More than a foot and a half has accumulated in much of New York and New Jersey, and forecasters now predict upwards of two and a half feet of snow for the region. Driving is now prohibited in the city and all downstate roads, and the Port Authority has closed the George Washington Bridge and its cross-Hudson tunnels. New Jersey Transit is shut down, Long Island Rail Road, Metro North, and above-ground New York subway services ceased at 4 p.m. City buses stopped running at noon, PATH service is limited, the Port Authority bus terminal is closed, and all flights have been cancelled at LaGuardia, Newark, and JFK airports.

Broadway shows were canceled as was Carnegie Hall. Museums closed early. A Bruce Springsteen concert was cancelled. Students who've prepared for months for the SATs, the first of a revamped test, woke up to find them postponed.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio even urged parents to prevent their children from playing outside as snow continues to fall at two to three inches and hour and winds gust up to 80 mph in some areas. 

Visibility was near zero for much of the day. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have found themselves without power, some 90,000 homes in New Jersey were without power, and Cape May, New Jersey reported flood levels comparable to those of storm Sandy.  

However, officials said, while other areas reported coastal flooding, it was not as severe. The next high tide comes early this evening, in conjunction with a full moon. Gov. Cuomo said flooding remained his chief concern, particularly on Long Island, but also in low-lying areas of Brooklyn and Staten Island. 

But Gov. Christie downplayed the danger of Sandy-style storm surges.

"This is no comparison to superstorm Sandy, people shouldn't be mentioning Sandy and frightening people that way," the governor said in an interview on WCBS-TV, noting he expects only minor flooding. "There have been no evacuation orders."

Weather officials put tonight's predicted surge at four feet, compared to nine feet for Sandy.

According to Mayor de Blasio, snowfall over 20 inches in New York City would make the storm one of the top five heaviest since snow totals began being recorded in 1869.  The Mayor said unauthorized vehicles will be ticketed and taken off the roads by the NYPD.  "This is bad and it is getting worse rapidly," he said at a press briefing from the Office of Emergency Management. 

A total of 650 plows and another 579 salt spreaders are currently on the roadways in New York City. And city agencies including the Department of Environmental Protection, the Departments of Transportation and Parks and Recreation have dedicated an additional 135 plows for snow clearing operations.

Alternate side of the street parking is suspended on Monday.