Snow causes cancellations of flights, trains, buses; nonessential vehicles banned on roads
An eastbound Long Island Rail Road train arrives at the Sayville station as snow begins to fall Sunday. Credit: Thomas Hengge
With heavy snow accumulation overnight Sunday into Monday, and continued snowfall and frigid, windy conditions into Monday evening, officials and experts are warning Long Islanders to avoid travel. Bans on driving on Long Island’s roads have been put into effect through Monday morning, while many flights, trains and buses have been canceled.
Nassau and Suffolk counties implemented travel bans for nonessential vehicles on all roads from 9 p.m. Sunday until 9 a.m. Monday. Exceptions include municipal workers, doctors, nurses, hospital workers and other essential workers.
The Long Island Rail Road suspended service at 1 a.m. Monday “until weather conditions allow for safe resumption.” Gordon Tepper, a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul, said trains would remain suspended at least through the Monday morning rush hour. Riders can check the TrainTime app or the MTA website for service updates.
Nassau Inter-County Express buses suspended service from Sunday at 9 p.m. until at least 9 a.m. Monday. A determination about whether to resume service at 9 a.m. Monday would be made Monday morning, officials said. The NICE GoMobile app has real-time information for planning trips.
Meanwhile, Suffolk County Transit is shut down until Tuesday. Buses stopped service at 4 p.m. Sunday and are expected to resume Tuesday at 10 a.m., according to a statement from the office of County Executive Edward P. Romaine. Updates can be found on the Suffolk County Transit website or @sctbusinfo on X.
If you were planning to fly somewhere Monday, your flight probably isn’t taking off.
As of Sunday evening, 40 flights scheduled for Monday had been canceled into and out of Long Island MacArthur Airport, while Kennedy and LaGuardia airports had each registered over 1,000 flight cancellations, according to the online tracking service FlightAware.
Kennedy and LaGuardia airports posted messages advising travelers to regularly check for flight status updates before heading to the airport.
A total of 22 counties, including Nassau and Suffolk, were under a state of emergency, according to Hochul's office.
Nassau County Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro urged drivers to avoid unnecessary travel, especially while the travel ban is in effect, because motorists venturing out on roadways risk becoming stranded.
"Schools are closed [Monday]. A lot of businesses are opening late. A lot of government offices are closing. So if you don't have to be on the road, stay off the road," he said.
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