NYC Public Schools chancellor on remote-learning day: 'I don’t think that we passed this test'
New York City Public Schools Chancellor David Banks said the city did not pass today's remote-learning "test" due to technical issues.
“As I said, this was a test. I don’t think that we passed this test," he said in a news briefing. NYC Public Schools did a lot of work to prepare for today, Banks said, but shortly before 8 a.m. they were notified that parents and students were having difficulty signing onto remote learning.
This is the first time NYC Public Schools has implemented remote learning on a snow day since introducing the controversial no-snow-day policy in 2022.
Snow expected to end within the next hour or two
Snow is expected to end within the next hour or two in the New Jersey, Hudson Valley and New York City metro areas, according to NBC New York's Violeta Yas.
The snow will linger for a little longer in Long Island and Connecticut.
More than 140,000 customers without power in Pennsylvania
More than 140,000 utility customers are without power in Pennsylvania as of 11:40 a.m., according to Poweroutage.us.
This is an uptick from 98,000 recorded without power as of 8:30 a.m.
Over 10,000 customers are without power in New Jersey.
Pristine morning snow in New York's Central Park
Some airlines issue waivers due to winter storm
Some airlines are issuing waivers to customers because of the winter storm impacting flights to and out of the Northeast.
JetBlue, Delta, American, Spirit and Southwest are all allowing passengers traveling through or from certain Northeast airports today to rebook their flights to a later date through Thursday.
Frontier Airlines is allowing passengers to rebook their flights, receive credits or request refunds. It's not clear if they're allowing rebooking without charge.
Almost 1,500 flights were canceled as of 11 a.m.
Philadelphia digs out
Snowplows deployed in NYC for the first time in two years
Snowplows have been deployed in New York City for the first time in two years, the Sanitation Department said on X.
The plows will be working in areas that have accumulated 2 inches of snow.
The department and Mayor Eric Adams advised people to stay off the roads.
NYC Public Schools announces tech issues during remote learning day
New York City Public Schools announced it was having tech issues during today's remote learning day.
All New York City public schools are closed for remote classes today.
"We are currently experiencing issues with services that require IBM authentication to login," NYC Public Schools wrote on X. "We are actively working with IBM to resolve."
An hour later, it said that "improvements are rolling out across the system."
Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour reported in NYC area
Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour have been reported in the greater New York City area, according to the weather service in New York.
The snowfall will most likely shift into the NYC metro area and Long Island next.
VIDEO: NYC emergency management chief on how the city prepared for the winter storm
New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol spoke about how the city prepared for what could be its biggest snowstorm in two years.
"As you are all aware, this forecast changed very quickly. Two days ago, forecast called for about an inch of snow. Yesterday morning, that was bumped up to 5 to 8 inches with a worst case scenario of 10 inches," he told NBC News.
The city considered "the worst case scenario" when getting prepared for this winter storm, Iscol said.
He advised residents to also take proper preparations to protect themselves from the storm, including staying off the roads for their own safety.