New York Mayor Mamdani orders citywide travel ban ahead of major US storm

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday ordered the shutdown of the city’s entire traffic network for all but emergency travel ahead of a massive snowstorm expected to hit the northeast United States.

Tens of millions of Americans from the US capital, Washington, to the northern state of Maine braced for the storm, with up to 60cm (2 feet) of snow forecast in some areas.

The National Weather Service said blizzard conditions would “quickly materialise” from Maryland up to southeastern New England, making travel “extremely treacherous”.

Snow could fall at a rate of 5cm to 7.6cm (2 to 3 inches) per hour at the peak of the storm, with nearly 54 million people in its path, it said.

Power cuts are likely due to heavy snow and strong wind gusts, forecasters said.

In New York, which has more than eight million people, Mamdani said streets, highways and bridges would be shut down from 9pm on Sunday until noon on Monday.