The Blizzard of 2026 in New York City, Tri-State area

With a historic blizzard approaching Long Island, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Saturday announced that all nonessential vehicles should be off public roads and highways from 9 p.m. Sunday night until 9 a.m. Monday morning.

Bruce Blakeman on Saturday announced that all nonessential vehicles should be off public roads and highways from 9 p.m. Sunday night until 9 a.m. Monday morning.

"This is a major blizzard that will bring major accumulations and dangerous conditions," he said.

"Essential vehicles shall include all emergency vehicles, as well as those operated by municipal workers, doctors, nurses, hospital workers, and other essential personnel. All other vehicles are banned from operating on public roadways," he said.

Blizzard Warnings are in effect for Long Island, all five boroughs of New York City, Westchester and Rockland counties, and coastal Connecticut along with most of New Jersey.

A Blizzard Warning means winds or gusts will hit or exceed 35 mph along with blowing snow, with visibility knocked down to 1/4 mile or less for three hours or more.

The worst of the storm arrives late Sunday afternoon and lasts through sunrise Monday. Snowfall rates could reach 2-3 inches per hour, with strong winds creating whiteout conditions - especially along the coast. The storm's central pressure off the coast will rival that of a category 2 or 3 hurricane. This strengthening will collapse in colder air and change all precipitation to heavy snow.

A blizzard has sustained wind or frequent gusts of 35mph or more.

New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency for 22 counties, effective Sunday morning, as a blizzard approaches the region.

"This is one to take seriously," Hochul said in a news conference Saturday, offering special warnings to vulnerable areas on Long Island, especially places that are prone to coastal flooding, which will be a big factor in this storm.

100 members of the New York State National Guard have already been activated, Hochul said, and will be stationed across Long Island, New York City, and the Lower Hudson Valley, available to back up first responders and assist as needed.

The state will also have 25 vehicles to assist downstate response operations. It will include a new snow-and-ice rescue vehicle that can accommodate up to 20 people who might be stranded on roads. The vehicle will be sent to Long Island.

Hochul has been in touch with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and leaders of neighboring counties. The state is stockpiling extra equipment and emergency response crews are at the ready.

Th state DOT has more than 2,000 plows on standby and 5,800 utility workers ready to deal with outages.

Mayor Zohram Mamdani said Saturday that any decision on school closures will be announced on Sunday. A blizzard is poised to strike the city on Sunday into Monday, the first in a decade.

By Sunday at noon, he said the city would be able to announce the decision, giving officials more time to evaluate the storm's potential impact.