Millions of people in New York City and a large swath of the northeastern U.S. are stuck at home under road travel bans and blizzard warnings as heavy snow and strong winds intensified, creating whiteout conditions in the densely populated region. Snow fell at a rate of 2 to 3 inches an hour early Monday from New York through Massachusetts. Some areas have gotten well over a foot of snow since Sunday, along with wind gusts of over 30 mph and low visibility. More than 5,000 flights in and out of the U.S. were canceled, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

Millions of residents in parts of the northeastern U.S. are stuck at home under road travel bans and blizzard warnings as a fierce winter storm threatens the densely populated region overnight. The National Weather Service says snow of up to 2 feet is possible in many areas into Monday, along with heavy winds and sharply reduced visibility. New York City and Rhode Island have banned nonessential road travel from Sunday evening into Monday, with New Jersey implementing similar restrictions. Schools are set to be closed Monday in cities including New York and Boston. Emergency declarations have been issued in several states and cities.