Winter Storm Juno

Early in the afternoon on Monday, January 26th, the governors of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey all declared States of Emergency in preparation for Winter Storm Juno. With over two feet of snow forecasted, this storm was expected to be a “historic” blizzard. Snow started to fall late Monday afternoon, but the majority of the snow was expected to fall overnight.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a Travel Ban that would be effective starting Monday night at 11 P.M. for thirteen counties that would hold true until at least Thursday. Port Authority closed all trans-Hudson crossings such as the George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel Monday afternoon in anticipation of the storm. All mass transit systems were set to stop running at 11 P.M. as well. Juno prompted the first system-wide shutdown since Superstorm Sandy. Thousands of plows were being brought down from upstate New York to help with snow removal and road salting. New York City Public Schools released their students early on Monday and would be closed until further notice.

Similar to the actions of Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie ordered the early closing of all state offices. Workers began salting roadways early Monday afternoon in preparation and many schools released their students as an added precaution. Transportation services began closing at 8 P.M. and the commuter trains are not set to run again until at least Thursday morning.

Governor Dannel Malloy of Connecticut took the same precautions and also declared a statewide travel ban starting at 9 P.M. Monday evening. Widespread outages were expected due to the threat of high winds, so all citizens were encouraged to take necessary actions to prevent damages.

These three states, as well as a few others in the Northeast, are taking all possible safety measures to ensure maximum safety for all citizens. The storm stretched past the Northeast however, and caused dozens of schools in the East Tennessee/Kentucky area to either be closed or operate on a delay Tuesday, January 27th. Even South-Doyle, and all of the Knox County Public School District, operated on a two-hour delay after superintendent Jim McIntyre made the call early Tuesday morning.

By: Lexie Shaw