Snow is falling at a faster rate. Wind gusts are getting stronger. And temperatures are frigid.
It may not look bad yet, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday night, but it will be soon.
"This is literally the calm before the storm. It's about to start in earnest," de Blasio said. "And when it does, it's going to come in very fast and very hard, and people have to be very, very careful. People have to stay off the streets and stay off the sidewalks."
The National Weather Service, which isn't prone to exaggeration, is using terms like "life-threatening" and "historic" to describe the weather system taking aim at the Northeast, with the worst expected to hit Monday night into Tuesday.
The first big storm of the year may drop up to 3 feet of snow on Boston and New York before it ends Tuesday, with freezing rain and strong wind gusts possibly reaching 70 mph. Blizzard and winter storm warnings have been issued from Maryland through Maine and into Canada.
Up to 58 million people could be put into the deep freeze. And the storm could have a far-reaching economic and political impact, even beyond the region directly hit.
The snowfall will be dramatic, but that might not be what causes the most damage, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.
A possible source of major problems, he said, will be large wind gusts that send tree limbs crashing down into power lines. That could leave people in some area without electricity for days, he said.
Another area of concern: roads.
"It is no joke to have people stranded on a highway. We've gone through that before," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters. "It is frightening how quickly a simple trip to the supermarket can wind up being very dangerous."
Public transportation will shut down and only emergency vehicles will be allowed on the roads in 13 counties -- and on the streets of New York City -- as of 11 p.m., he said.
Connecticut and Massachusetts also put travel bans in place.
In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter declared a snow emergency starting at 6 p.m. ET Monday. Cars left parked on snow emergency routes will be towed and owners ticketed, he said.
"It's going to be the kind of night where the best thing anybody can do is stay inside," Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday evening.
Track the storm
Here's what you need to know, state-by-state
Sights and sounds of the blizzard
Spinning your wheels
While the worst of the weather isn't expected to hit until late Monday into Tuesday, according to CNN forecasters, it's already snarling travel.
Nearly 7,000 flights have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday, the flight-tracking website Flightaware.com said. And hundreds of flights have already been canceled for Wednesday as well.
American Airlines suspended operations in Philadelphia, Boston and New York late Monday afternoon.
"We plan to resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so," airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said.
United Airlines has already canceled all Tuesday flights at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK, as well as Boston and Philadelphia, company spokeswoman Mary Ryan said.
Delta has canceled more than 1,600 flights on Monday and Tuesday. There are no operations planned at Boston's Logan International Airport on Tuesday and "very limited flying at LaGuardia and JFK," spokesman Morgan Durrant said. Some cancellations may also be necessary Wednesday morning, he said.
The major U.S. airlines are offering fee-free rebooking of flights to and from the Northeast on Monday and Tuesday.
Amtrak said it was operating a normal Monday schedule but suspended Northeast Regional and Acela Express service between New York and Boston for Tuesday because of severe weather.
Other Amtrak train routes in the region will operate at reduced frequencies, the rail line said.
Stocking up before the storm
Heavier snow will hit Monday night and continue through Tuesday, forecasters said. Some areas will still be getting snow Wednesday.
Officials across the Northeast warned residents to stock up for the storm.
Snow is falling at a faster rate. Wind gusts are getting stronger. And temperatures are frigid.
It may not look bad yet, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday night, but it will be soon.
"This is literally the calm before the storm. It's about to start in earnest," de Blasio said. "And when it does, it's going to come in very fast and very hard, and people have to be very, very careful. People have to stay off the streets and stay off the sidewalks."
The National Weather Service, which isn't prone to exaggeration, is using terms like "life-threatening" and "historic" to describe the weather system taking aim at the Northeast, with the worst expected to hit Monday night into Tuesday.
The first big storm of the year may drop up to 3 feet of snow on Boston and New York before it ends Tuesday, with freezing rain and strong wind gusts possibly reaching 70 mph. Blizzard and winter storm warnings have been issued from Maryland through Maine and into Canada.
Up to 58 million people could be put into the deep freeze. And the storm could have a far-reaching economic and political impact, even beyond the region directly hit.
The snowfall will be dramatic, but that might not be what causes the most damage, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.
A possible source of major problems, he said, will be large wind gusts that send tree limbs crashing down into power lines. That could leave people in some area without electricity for days, he said.
Another area of concern: roads.
"It is no joke to have people stranded on a highway. We've gone through that before," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters. "It is frightening how quickly a simple trip to the supermarket can wind up being very dangerous."
Public transportation will shut down and only emergency vehicles will be allowed on the roads in 13 counties -- and on the streets of New York City -- as of 11 p.m., he said.
Connecticut and Massachusetts also put travel bans in place.
In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter declared a snow emergency starting at 6 p.m. ET Monday. Cars left parked on snow emergency routes will be towed and owners ticketed, he said.
"It's going to be the kind of night where the best thing anybody can do is stay inside," Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday evening.
Track the storm
Here's what you need to know, state-by-state
Sights and sounds of the blizzard
Spinning your wheels
While the worst of the weather isn't expected to hit until late Monday into Tuesday, according to CNN forecasters, it's already snarling travel.
Nearly 7,000 flights have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday, the flight-tracking website Flightaware.com said. And hundreds of flights have already been canceled for Wednesday as well.
American Airlines suspended operations in Philadelphia, Boston and New York late Monday afternoon.
"We plan to resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so," airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said.
United Airlines has already canceled all Tuesday flights at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK, as well as Boston and Philadelphia, company spokeswoman Mary Ryan said.
Delta has canceled more than 1,600 flights on Monday and Tuesday. There are no operations planned at Boston's Logan International Airport on Tuesday and "very limited flying at LaGuardia and JFK," spokesman Morgan Durrant said. Some cancellations may also be necessary Wednesday morning, he said.
The major U.S. airlines are offering fee-free rebooking of flights to and from the Northeast on Monday and Tuesday.
Amtrak said it was operating a normal Monday schedule but suspended Northeast Regional and Acela Express service between New York and Boston for Tuesday because of severe weather.
Other Amtrak train routes in the region will operate at reduced frequencies, the rail line said.
Stocking up before the storm
Heavier snow will hit Monday night and continue through Tuesday, forecasters said. Some areas will still be getting snow Wednesday.
Officials across the Northeast warned residents to stock up for the storm.
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