Travel across the northeastern United States ground to a near halt on Sunday as officials in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania moved to restrict movement on roads and rails while Winter Storm Fern intensified over the region.

With blizzard conditions, dangerous ice, and life-threatening wind chills forecast into Monday, authorities urged residents and travelers to stay put, warning that even short trips could quickly turn hazardous.

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States Move Swiftly as Fern Targets the Northeast

Winter Storm Fern, which has already carved a destructive path from the Southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic, pushed into the Northeast on Sunday, January 25, bringing bands of heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from western Pennsylvania to coastal New England. Forecasters warned that Fern’s slow-moving core and deep moisture could produce one of the most disruptive winter weather events in several years for the Interstate 95 corridor.

In response, the governors of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania all activated emergency powers to manage transportation and public safety. Each state implemented some combination of travel advisories, commercial vehicle restrictions, and targeted or county-level travel bans, particularly in areas where whiteout conditions and crippling ice accumulations were expected.

Officials framed the restrictions as critical both to keeping drivers out of harm’s way and to ensuring plow crews, utility repair teams, and emergency vehicles could move unimpeded. As snowfall totals climbed and winds strengthened Sunday afternoon, transportation departments across the four states reported rapidly deteriorating visibility and mounting reports of spinouts, jackknifed trucks, and stranded vehicles.

New York Tightens Road Rules and Urges Residents to Stay Home

New York moved early to prepare for Fern, with Governor Kathy Hochul declaring a statewide disaster emergency on January 23 ahead of the storm’s arrival. The order activated the state’s comprehensive emergency management plan and freed agencies to pre-position resources, suspend certain regulations, and coordinate closely with local governments as the system advanced.

By early Sunday, state officials had layered on a series of travel-related measures intended to keep roads clear as snow intensified. Beginning at 12:00 a.m. Sunday, all commercial vehicles were ordered to use only the right travel lane on state roads, including the New York State Thruway. Long combination tandem trucks faced a full travel ban on the Thruway starting at 6:00 a.m., a step designed to prevent the lengthy rigs from jackknifing and blocking critical corridors.

Governor Hochul also directed all nonessential state employees to work remotely on Monday where possible and asked private employers to follow suit, emphasizing that “the fewer people on the roads, the easier it is for plow crews and emergency responders to operate safely.” In some counties, including parts of the lower Hudson Valley, local executives issued their own advisories and partial travel bans for nonessential traffic as whiteout bands and drifting snow reduced visibility.

In Dutchess County, officials escalated to a full, temporary travel ban on Sunday, citing a combination of heavy snowfall, blowing snow, and limited visibility that made it nearly impossible for plows to keep up. County offices were closed and residents were instructed to remain off the roads except for genuine emergencies, a measure that underscored the severity of conditions along the Hudson River corridor.

Connecticut Enforces Commercial Vehicle Ban on Highways

To the east, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency on January 24 ahead of what forecasters warned could be the state’s heaviest snowfall in years. The declaration paved the way for a sweeping commercial vehicle travel ban on all limited-access highways, which took effect at noon on Sunday and will remain in place until further notice.

The order bars a broad range of large vehicles from the state’s major arteries, including tractor-trailers, tankers, vehicles hauling trailers, and many recreational vehicles. Only emergency response and recovery vehicles, such as police, fire, ambulance, and utility repair convoys, are exempt. State police said they would be actively enforcing the ban and would have the authority to remove violators from the roadway.

By Sunday afternoon, snowfall totals across interior Connecticut had climbed into the double digits, with many locations reporting more than a foot of dry, powdery snow and wind gusts strong enough to create near-blizzard conditions. While power outages remained relatively limited compared with other parts of the storm’s footprint, transportation infrastructure was heavily impacted, with flight operations at Bradley International Airport sharply reduced and intercity and commuter rail services operating on modified or reduced schedules.

New Jersey Restricts Nonessential Travel as Conditions Worsen

New Jersey, squarely in Fern’s northern snow shield, also moved to limit movement as conditions worsened from late Saturday into Sunday. Governor Mikie Sherrill had already declared a state of emergency as the storm approached, allowing the state to mobilize resources and coordinate with county and municipal agencies ahead of time.

Through the New Jersey State Police and Department of Transportation, the state instituted phased restrictions on certain classes of commercial vehicles along major interstate corridors, including portions of Interstates 80, 78, and 287, as heavy snow and strong winds reduced visibility. In some northern and northwestern counties, local officials issued nonessential travel advisories, urging residents to stay off the roads so plows and emergency vehicles could operate more efficiently.

Transportation officials warned that even after the heaviest snowbands passed, persistent blowing and drifting could keep road conditions treacherous through Monday morning. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority reported reduced speed limits across long stretches of the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, while service plazas prepared for the possibility that stranded motorists would need to shelter in place for extended periods.

Pennsylvania Implements Tiered Restrictions on Interstates

In Pennsylvania, one of the first northeastern states to see impacts from Fern’s northern flank, Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration leaned on an established system of tiered restrictions on interstate highways. As snow intensified and icy patches multiplied, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission progressively limited what types of vehicles were allowed on the most heavily traveled routes.

Under the tiered system, key interstates including I-80, I-81, I-83, and sections of the Pennsylvania Turnpike saw initial reductions in allowable speeds, followed by prohibitions on certain large commercial vehicles, motorcycles, and recreational vehicles with trailers. In some stretches, restrictions escalated to near-total bans on nonessential commercial traffic as visibility dropped and plow convoys worked to keep at least one lane in each direction passable.

State officials stressed that the goal was not simply to reduce congestion but to prevent pileups and multi-vehicle incidents that have accompanied past major winter storms. With Fern dropping heavy snow across much of central and eastern Pennsylvania and a mix of sleet and freezing rain in the south, emergency managers warned that even well-equipped vehicles could quickly become stranded if they left plowed routes or attempted to navigate secondary roads.

Air, Rail, and Transit Networks Strained Across the Region

While highway restrictions drew the most immediate attention from motorists, Fern’s impacts rippled across nearly every mode of transportation in the four-state region. Airlines had begun issuing travel waivers and preemptive cancellations by late last week, but the full force of the disruptions became apparent on Sunday as snow and ice closed or curtailed operations at major hubs from Philadelphia to the New York metropolitan area.

Carriers serving New York’s John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty airports scrubbed hundreds of flights, with some airlines canceling the majority of their Sunday schedules to and from the region. Smaller airports, including Albany, Stewart, and Bradley International in Connecticut, also reported significant cancellations and delays, leaving travelers scrambling to rebook on limited remaining seats later in the week.

On the rails, Amtrak reduced or suspended several Northeast Corridor and Keystone Service trains, citing hazardous conditions, power concerns, and the potential for fallen trees and debris on tracks. Regional commuter rail systems, including New Jersey Transit and Metro-North, operated reduced schedules, with some branches curtailed entirely during the height of the storm. Local transit agencies in New York City and Philadelphia kept limited bus and subway services running but warned that above-ground routes were especially vulnerable to delays as snow and ice accumulated.

Emergency Services and Utility Crews Brace for Long Response

Behind the scenes, emergency managers in all four states spent the weekend marshaling resources in anticipation of a prolonged response and recovery period. In New York, Governor Hochul activated 100 members of the National Guard to support operations in New York City, Long Island, and the lower Hudson Valley, positioning them to assist with storm response, traffic control, and welfare checks if needed.

Public works departments and contracted plow operators across the region reported running around-the-clock shifts, with crews attempting to stay ahead of the heaviest snowbands and to keep at least priority routes open for ambulances and fire apparatus. The combination of high winds and extreme cold posed additional difficulties, as drifting snow quickly refilled cleared lanes and created deep windrows along highway shoulders.

Utility companies, already dealing with outages in parts of the South and Midwest after Fern’s earlier phases, warned that heavy, wet snow and thick ice accretions on power lines and tree limbs could trigger additional failures in the Northeast. Crews from less-affected regions were staged in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and upstate New York, ready to move into the hardest-hit counties once conditions allowed.

Travelers Confront Cancellations, Delays, and Changing Plans

For travelers, the web of restrictions and rapidly shifting conditions made for a difficult and often frustrating weekend. Those attempting to drive between states encountered a patchwork of rules, from full travel bans in specific New York counties to commercial vehicle prohibitions on Connecticut highways and tiered restrictions in Pennsylvania. Officials repeatedly urged out-of-state drivers to check the latest advisories before departure and to be prepared to delay trips until at least Monday afternoon or later.

At airports, long lines formed at customer service counters as passengers tried to secure new itineraries or arrange overnight lodging. Many airlines encouraged customers to rebook through mobile apps rather than waiting at the terminal, but limited inventory and the storm’s broad geographic reach left some travelers expecting to remain grounded for several days.

Rail passengers also faced uncertainty. While some early-morning trains managed to operate before the heaviest snow hit, later departures were subject to last-minute cancellations, particularly on lines where dispatchers were concerned about visibility and the potential for equipment to become stuck. Advisories from multiple carriers urged passengers who did not absolutely need to travel on Sunday or Monday to stay home and rebook for midweek.

Officials Warn of Lingering Hazards After Snow Ends

Even as some forecast models suggested that the heaviest snow would gradually taper off from west to east by late Monday morning, officials in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania cautioned that the most dangerous period for travel might extend well beyond the last flakes. Deep cold behind the storm is expected to lock in whatever snow and ice remains on roadways, with overnight lows plunging far below freezing across much of the region.

Transportation departments emphasized that plow and salting operations would continue through at least Monday night, and that isolated travel restrictions could remain in place where drifting and refreezing created black ice and impassable shoulders. Local governments were expected to reassess county-level travel bans and advisories on a rolling basis, lifting them only once emergency managers were confident that primary routes were safe for the general public.

For now, officials across the four states are united in their guidance to residents and visitors alike: postpone nonessential trips, stay informed as advisories are updated, and give road crews and emergency responders the space they need to work. With Winter Storm Fern still unfolding over the Northeast, the full picture of its impact on travel and infrastructure may not come into focus until well into the week ahead.