The latest snow storm is wreaking havoc across the east, forcing over 6,000 flight cancellations and 3,600 delays.
Thousands of flights have been grounded across airports in NYC, Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta and more as the storm continues to dump inches of snow. Check the live update for all cancelled flights and delays on Flightaware.com.
Despite travel advisories being issued in New York City and the greater New York area, the NYC Department of Education announced that schools be open today, angering many parents and teachers, who found travelling difficult amid the inclement weather.
Today's snow and travelling conditions in New York City were much worse than when the NYC DOE shut down the schools on Jan. 3 for inclement weather.
In a press conference Thursday morning, Mayor de Blasio urged residents to stay off the roads if possible and use mass transit. He stated that 1,900 snow plows are on the roads, along with 475 salt spreaders.
A state of emergency was declared by New York Governor Cuomo for the mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island regions.
"With this winter storm continuing to deliver snow, ice, and freezing rain across parts of the State, I am declaring a state of emergency in these regions so that we can continue to effectively respond to the storm and aid communities in need," Governor Cuomo said. "These regions are expected to continue to receive heavy snow that may accumulate at rates of around two to three inches per hour, which will make it difficult for plows to keep some roads clear. New Yorkers should stay off of the roads and remain in their homes until the worst of the storm has passed."
Despite a state of emergency being issued, amazingly schools were kept open - sending thousands of parents and toddlers through blizzard like conditions, wading through more than a foot of snow to school.
De Blasio defended his decision to keep schools open, telling reporters: "Unlike some cities, we don't shut down in the face of adversity. I'm going to make decisions based on the information we have."
NYC School Chancellor Carmen Farina said: "The reality is that we make decisions based on what we know at the time. Because this storm was so unpredictable, and what we heard last night is not necessarily what we saw this morning."
In Washington D.C., all federal offices were closed, including the city's two main airports.
In the South, it has been reported that nearly 500,000 people are without power. The storm claimed the lives of at least 12 victims in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi. Most of the victims died due to car accidents caused by the weather.
15 inches of snow fell on Baltimore, 11 inches in Washington DC and Philadelphia, and 14 inches in New York.
