Horror blizzard ‘not to be underestimated’

Ebony Bowden
Jan 27, 2015, updated Jan 27, 2015

New York’s famous streets and subways are in lockdown in preparation for what is likely to be one of the worst blizzards in New York history.

New Yorkers are being urged to stay at home as streets are shutdown, flights are cancelled and schools are closed ahead of an anticipated one metre of snowfall on Monday.

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Supermarkets have also been mobbed and left barren by people desperate to stock up on supplies.

“You cannot underestimate this storm. This is not a typical storm. It’s going to pack a real punch,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

“[This storm] will most likely be one of the worst blizzards in the history of New York City.”

The city is adding 40 per cent more ambulances to deal with potential emergencies, and the National Guard have been deployed, according to the New York Post.

Temperatures of minus 7 degrees are also expected to wreck havoc over the following days as heavy snowfall freezes across the city.

States of emergency have been declared from New Jersey to New York City, with 60 million people in the zone where the storm is expected to hit the hardest.

“The best thing to do is stay indoors, stay off of the road, stay off the sidewalks. In the next hours, we want people who can get home to get home early,” Mr de Blasio said.

“As the evening progresses and the snow intensifies, it will not be an optional matter.”

The official hashtags of the storm #blizzardof2015 and #snowmaggedon2015 are trending on Twitter, as New Yorkers share photos of frantic supermarket queues and empty grocery shelves.

#Snowmageddon2015 hits Yankee Stadium. Be safe out there. pic.twitter.com/EPQaLEjBmz

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) January 26, 2015

Nothing makes me homesick quite like New Yorkers freaking out about the weather. #Snowmageddon2015 #BLIZZARDWATCH pic.twitter.com/vYZjfxUFZw — Caroline Hallemann (@challemann) January 26, 2015

So I guess potatoes are a survival food? #Snowmageddon2015 pic.twitter.com/CW9PP0aFf5 — Brien (@BrienBuckman) January 25, 2015

#Snowmageddon2015 The view from New York within the last hour… pic.twitter.com/IZJfFOHFAX — Martin Bashir (@MartinBashir) January 26, 2015

View of the @UN building from our mission. Wait, where’s the UN building? #Snowmageddon2015 #NYCblizzard pic.twitter.com/c8LP9MR7fE — German Mission to UN (@GermanyUN) January 26, 2015

The line is so long at Brooklyn Whole Foods that staff are handing out hors d’oeurves #snowstormproblems #snowstorm2015 — Kate (@kbriquelet) January 26, 2015

So I’m thinking I should have gone to the grocery store yesterday! #blizzardof2015 @FoxFriendsFirst pic.twitter.com/DRzStlyaix — Heather Childers (@HeatherChilders) January 26, 2015

Came to trader Joes as a joke and somehow ended up on this massive pre-#blizzardof2015 line for dinner. #yolo pic.twitter.com/E8KHFX3DkF — Izzie in a Tizzy (@izziebot) January 25, 2015