JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
The entire Northeast from Maine to Maryland has been hit with a massive snowstorm. Millions of people were forced to stay home, and thousands of flights were canceled across the region. And as of this afternoon, around a half million people didn't have power. Some areas, including New York City, even saw an emergency travel ban, limiting car travel to only essential vehicles. NPR's Sarah Ventre is in New York and joins us now. Hey.
SARAH VENTRE, BYLINE: Hi, Juana.
SUMMERS: Hey. So Sarah, what is it like there in Manhattan where you are?
VENTRE: Well, the most striking thing you notice right away is that the streets are just so much more empty than usual. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that most parts of the city have seen 16 to 19 inches of snow and 24 inches in parts of eastern Staten Island. So even though that - the travel ban has actually been lifted, there's still a hazardous travel advisory in the city until midnight. That's so emergency vehicles can get through when needed.
So right now, it's pretty quiet. You're really - you're hardly seeing any cars, and the snow is so deep that walking in a lot of places is actually really complicated. I did talk to a few old-school New Yorkers who were out this morning. And New Yorkers are tough, so they were taking it in stride. This is Alex Arias (ph). He's lived here for more than 55 years.
ALEX ARIAS: Well, right now, I'm trying to dig out of my car, so I don't have to do it tomorrow.
VENTRE: It's pretty intense.
ARIAS: It's not too bad. Just take it slow and take it easy. Growing up, it was all the time. And this isn't too bad.
VENTRE: So apparently, it's going to take more than a foot and a half of snow to faze New York.
SUMMERS: And Sarah, what about outside of New York? I think I've heard there are some places with even more snow.
ARIAS: That is true. So Rhode Island hit a new record for snowfall in a single snowstorm - almost 33 inches so far, and that number is expected to climb higher. That topped the previous record from the Great Blizzard of '78. And there is more than two feet of snow in parts of New Jersey and Long Island. A state of emergency was declared in eight states. And the process at work here is actually called bombogenesis. Or you may have heard the term bomb cyclone. That's when there is a rapid drop in pressure over a short period of time. And in this case, the temperature was just right for that wet, heavy snow.
SUMMERS: Yeah. Lots of people stuck inside in the region. What does this mean for travel?
VENTRE: Well, some people still can't drive down their street. I mean, around 20% of the flights that were scheduled to depart today were canceled. That's according to the aviation analytics company, Cirium. Amtrak has suspended service between New York and Boston for the rest of the night, and road conditions are still pretty hazardous across the region. The National Weather Service called conditions extremely treacherous and nearly impossible in some places.
SUMMERS: OK. Well, we know this has been a long, very cold winter. I know people want to know. I know that I want to know. How much longer are we going to keep doing this? Is spring coming anytime soon?
VENTRE: Please do not make me the bearer of bad news.
SUMMERS: (Laughter).
VENTRE: Unfortunately, I have to say no - not right now. In some places, like on the Cape in Massachusetts, people are being told that their power might be out for days. We know that more than 1,500 flights have already been canceled for tomorrow, and the snow isn't going to melt right away. Here in New York, we had been tripping over disgusting piles of grimy snow for weeks. That was from our last big snowfall, and now more is here.
SUMMERS: NPR's Sarah Ventre in New York. Sarah, thanks, and stay warm.
VENTRE: Thank you. You too.
(SOUNDBITE OF DAN ZEITUNE AND T ASCO'S "MASARI") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.