This is a view of Central Park as seen from the JW Marriott Essex House.
A winter storm warning is in effect for all of MA, as residents in Greater Boston brace for a big snowstorm that is expected to blanket the region with at least 10 inches of snow. The three NY area airports - LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty - saw hundreds of flights halted and delayed. Scores of school districts, including Boston and New York City, had announced on Wednesday that schools would be closed.
The city's Emergency Management Department also issued a hazardous travel advisory.
Strong wind gusts, combined with colder air flowing in after the storm departs, will create wind chills in the single digits and maybe even zero in northern and central New Jersey Thursday night, the National Weather Service said.
By midmorning, snow was falling at a rate of up to 3 inches per hour, NWS meteorologist Pete Wichrowski said. In the face of winter storm warnings for southern New England, including Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, more than 1,900 flights have preemptively been cancelled.
Officials warned residents to avoid morning travel as heavy snow can make roads slick and risky.
A half foot of snow or more could fall in a matter of hours Thursday morning as an intense storm quickly moves through the Philadelphia region as temps drop to freezing and below.
The storm is expected to clear out by 5 or 6 p.m., and total accumulation is predicted at 10 to 14 inches, de Blasio said. At these intensities, it's wise to stay off the roads.
"Local power outages with downed trees and power lines possible", the NWS said in the blizzard warning.
Dozens of motorists got stranded on New York's Long Island after they couldn't make it up icy ramps.
The storm is so rapidly intensifying with winds gusting to 45 miles per hour that it is "making air travel hard, if not impossible", the Capital Weather Gang reported.
A video from Manhattan shows the risky conditions, with buses becoming stuck in the streets and snarling traffic. "If you need to go out, please don't use your auto because we need to let our Sanitation Department clear the roads", he said.
One person who did not heed officials' warnings: Martha Stewart.
"Everyone runs out for groceries ahead of a storm, but don't forget to fill your gas tank and pack your vehicle emergency kit", said Ken Grant, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. Boston canceled school on Friday, too.
All New Jersey state offices are closed for non-essential employees, Gov. Christie says.
On Feb. 8, 2017, left, New York City reached record-high temperatures in the 60's.
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