NEW YORK, Feb 14, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The northeastern United States was
engulfed by snow Tuesday as a powerful winter storm battered the region,
blanketing New York for the first time in two years and causing flight
cancellations and school closures.

Airlines cancelled more than 1,220 flights, including 43 percent of flights
at New York's domestic LaGuardia airport as well as one in five flights at
the city's main air hub JFK, according to aviation tracker Flight Aware.

Schools were forced to close in New York city and transport operators
scrambled to provide service after authorities called on the public to avoid
driving amid treacherous conditions.

It was the first time in two years that enough snow had fallen to necessitate
the use of plows in the country's biggest city, authorities said.

"Four to eight inches (10-20 centimeters) of snow and wind gusts up to 40
miles (64 kilometers) per hour expected. Avoid unnecessary travel. If you
must travel, use mass transit," the city's emergency notification system said
in an alert.

New Yorkers headed to Central Park where hardy joggers and dog walkers rubbed
shoulders with snow revellers building snowmen and playing in the powder.

More than 32 million people were under a winter storm warning, issued by the
National Weather Service (NWS) as Storm Lorraine wrought havoc.

Many rural areas in the northeast were cut off as snow plows attempted to
clear roads even as heavy snow continued to cover driving surfaces.

Hampton Township in New Jersey was hammered with 13 inches of snow while
Chester in upstate New York received over 11 inches, according to
meteorologists.

"A Nor'easter will bring strong winds and heavy snowfall... which could
damage trees, power lines, and disrupt travel. Coastal flooding is expected
along portions of the East Coast," the NWS said in an update, using an
informal name for the regional storm.

"The axis of heaviest snowfall is expected from eastern Pennsylvania,
including the Lehigh Valley, through northern New Jersey, far southeast New
York, and southern New England" including the New York metropolitan area.

"This heavy snow is expected to produce locally significant travel
disruptions."