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Thirty-Five Million Under Blizzard Warnings Across Northeast; Cartel Leader "El Mencho" Killed In Mexican Military Operation. Aired 9-10p ET

Aired February 22, 2026 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[21:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN HOST: Nine p.m. on the East Coast. And you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Polo Sandoval live in New York.

And we want to begin this hour with this powerful winter storm that is strengthening tonight in the Northeast as we speak.

And if you had travel plans for this part of the country you may as well forget about it. More than 5,000 flights have already been canceled for tomorrow. New York City, Philadelphia, Boston all under blizzard warnings as the storm continues to intensify in the coming hours, it's expected to bring up to a foot and a half of snow in many areas, and possibly even two feet of snow for some parts of the affected region.

And New Jersey just announcing a statewide travel ban as -- at this hour here in New York City, a similar ban also kicks into place.

[21:00:07]

Let's go now to CNN meteorologist Chris Warren who's live at the CNN Weather Center, following this very closely, guiding us all through this, Chris.

All right. What do people need to know right now about where the impacts are, and also where they will be in the coming hours and tomorrow morning?

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Polo, I'll tell you why. A lot of people will say, just simply how bad is it going to be, right? Not necessarily, you know, how much snow, you know how long it's going to last. Just how bad is it going to be?

Well, the National Weather Service has this to answer that question for you. And these are the winter storm impacts. So, with the winter storm out there, how bad is it going to be? What are the impacts going to be like.

Well, minor in the yellow, moderate in orange. But the extent of the red and the purple over the megalopolis here in the Northeast, the I- 95 corridor, major impacts expected from Virginia, Maryland, all the way up to eastern Pennsylvania, all of New Jersey, New York, a lot of New York, all of Long Island, and all the way up to coastal areas in Maine, in that major winter storm impact range, extreme impacts.

Now, we're talking where there's going to be power outages, dangerous travel, if not life threatening travel. And this includes also heavily populated areas here. Millions of people under this, all because of a what will be a bomb cyclone. When we're talking about a bomb cyclone its explosive development and we measure these systems in millibars.

So, you get 24-hour millibar drop, dropping pressure is increasing winds and strengthening storms. You get 24 -- 24 millibar drop within 24 hours and it bombs out. And within the next several hours leading up to about midnight or 1:00 in the morning, most of that is going to happen. So, this is going to be one heck of a beast of a storm by morning as it continues to move across the East Coast with blizzard warnings here from the Delmarva. So we're talking parts of 11 states here in the Northeast, close to 40 million people in blizzard warnings here, including the entire state of Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. But stretching all the way up to the Canadian border in Maine, in the coastal areas.

We'll take a moment and show you what's happening right now in terms of where the heaviest snow is falling at the moment -- the darker the purple, the heavier the snow. Green is rain. And we're seeing that rain change over to purple, changing over to snow. So, these bands right in here.

When we show you the maps of how much snow is expected, it's never uniform. You'll have pockets that end up with a lot more snow than other areas. So, with that, it's because of this. You see, these bands essentially, and when those bands stall out, they hang out in the same spot, that's when it really accumulates, and it's to the point where plows, they got to keep making passes because they'll go make a pass and then they'll need it another couple of hours. They'll need to come by again.

And that's another reason why it's so dangerous to be on the roads. Thankfully, most of the heaviest of snow and strongest winds are happening at night. Hopefully, everybody is at home in safe spot.

This is New York. Here's Philadelphia. Again, these bands like a wave here of heavy snow. And then this plume out here been watching this. When you see the dark purple coming, there's a lot here and a lot here. And they're all kind of going like a train on a track here, one after another. That's a spot to look for. Some healthy snowfall totals here by morning.

And then it's going to take a while here in eastern Massachusetts, not quite snowing in Boston yet. Maybe a few flurries, but once it gets going, it's going to be going throughout most of the day. Also, some lightning showing up, an indication of just how intense this system is.

Widespread areas could see a foot or more. Can't rule out two feet of snow in some areas. The timing for this 2:00 in the morning still snowing, still windy, 6:00, 7:00 in the morning.

Still going full on nor'easter mode here. Winds coming out of the Northeast, hammering Plymouth, hammering Boston, the cape, the islands, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard. And then it moves out with lingering showers. With these temperatures right around the freezing mark, its heavy wet snow likely to lead to power outages.

But, Polo, unlike some of the past events, temperatures during the day will be getting back above the freezing mark. So not looking for that big deep freeze here in New York.

SANDOVAL: You know, it cannot be stressed enough, just the paralyzing potential of this storm when you see just how massive it is, and then just how many states, how many rail system, how many airports, it could be a very disruptive Monday.

Thank you so much, Chris Warren, for walking us through all that. We'll check back with you.

[21:05:00]

We also want to go back to our colleague Gloria Pazmino, who has been covering she and her team for hours this storm speaking of people on the ground.

Gloria, we're four minutes into Mayor Mamdani's travel ban here, hoping to keep people safe. I don't see anybody behind you. Does it seem like it's making a difference?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRRESPONDENT: We'll see, Polo, over the next few minutes, now that the travel ban is officially in place now that we're past the 9:00 hour. It has gotten more and more desolate here outside of Central Park.

But we're still seeing some people on foot who are walking around trying to, you know, take in the conditions. But I can tell you everything that Chris just described. We are certainly feeling here. It is very windy. The snow is steadily falling, and it is also very cold.

Not as cold as the last winter storm we had about a month ago, which makes it all a little bit more bearable. But it is extremely windy and we are expecting to see a lot of snow accumulation at least a foot and a half. That could be history-making storm for New York City. We haven't had a blizzard warning here in the city since 2017.

So we are on our way to potentially a storm that will get into the history books of New York City.

Now, I want you to listen to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani talking about this travel ban earlier today and why it's so important. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI, NEW YORK CITY: We are declaring a state of emergency and instituting a travel ban starting at 9:00 p.m. this evening and ending at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow. The state of emergency closes the streets, highways and bridges of New York City for all traffic cars, trucks, scooters, and e-bikes, with some specific exemptions for essential and emergency movement. We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all non-essential travel.

Please, for your safety, stay home. Stay inside and stay off the roads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Now, Polo, in the last hour or so, we have significantly -- we've seen a significant increase of snowplows on city streets. Theres more than 2,200 pieces of equipment that have been deployed, 2,600 sanitation workers working 12-hour shifts from tonight into tomorrow morning. The travel ban will be lifted at noon, and that's likely when much of this cleanup is going to get started -- Polo.

SANDOVAL: And how about the impacts to for people who may think that it's possible to either take a train or plane into the tristate area. I mean, do you get a sense from what you're hearing from officials that essentially this storm is paralyzing many of those transportation means, for now?

PAZMINO: Yes. If you do have to go somewhere right now in New York City, the subway is likely your best bet although everything is running on a delayed schedule, on a weekend schedule, the other train system -- systems, New Jersey transit, Long Island Railroad, MTA, all of them also running on a modified schedule certainly. Check your line. There are some lines that are more affected because of their exposure.

And the ferry here in New York city has been suspended. So, although public transportation is operating and that is the best way to get around, if you have to go somewhere, you should definitely check schedules, because everything is pretty much operating on a limited schedule.

SANDOVAL: It is such an important note people from around the world often find themselves here in New York City, and that's information they certainly need to know.

Gloria Pazmino, again thank you and your team for that live report.

Right now, every single home, road and business, and the entire state of Connecticut, it is under a blizzard warning. I want to go live now to Mystic, Connecticut.

Vallery Maravi, I'm sorry.

VALLERY MARAVI, WTIC REPORTER: Yes.

SANDOVAL: Want to go there now from our affiliate WTIC is there. The least I can do is pronounce your name correctly. I'm so sorry about that, but I'm wondering if you could just bring us up to speed on what the situation is like for you there. MARAVI: Well, the situation has been changing constantly in the last few minutes, and we've been actually here for the 15 minutes. And that's just when the snow was coming down smoothly. But right now, it's heavier.

And as you can see, all the snow on my hair. So, this is not the day to look cute or pretty. I'm just out here to do my job, so we'll deal with that. We'll deal with how beautiful it looks out here.

But I just want to give you a perspective of what actually looks like. We've been here since 3:30 this afternoon. So definitely, the accumulation of snow, it's been pretty visible. And as you can see right now, it is still soft. It's still nice, but out here if you can just take a look at this way, it's building up.

The trees look beautiful. But again, it's still dangerous to be out there. People are completely off the roads, and that's what it was supposed to be, right?

[21:10:04]

We spoke to several neighbors. We spoke to travelers around here who wanted to just stay at a local hotel and just basically stay the night, and some of them taking off work and just take the day to relax and enjoy themselves as well. As you can see, the parking lot is pretty packed right now, and they're completely covered in this beautiful snow. And that is just being in the last hour when it's been coming down heavier than usual.

And again, just to remind everybody, local officials reminding and urging people to stay home and still state of emergency, you guys. So, let's just make sure to stay home and stay safe.

Back to you, guys.

SANDOVAL: No, it's such an important recommendation, Vallery. You know, you're in Connecticut. Other -- people in other parts of the country may be watching this and say, well, no, it snows in the Northeast. It's not unusual.

Speak to the extraordinary nature of this particular storm. What are you hearing from officials about why it's different this time around?

MARAVI: Well, it is different from last time. We just had what, a couple of weeks ago where the snow was still smooth and it wasn't as strong winds right now. The winds are picking up pretty quickly and it's supposed to be like this this time. Stronger winds, heavier snow than usual.

And we're expecting at least 15 inches of snow this time, or more. But this time, definitely. It's going to -- you're going to notice a change in the weather, and the cold is going to last longer. And people might expect some power outages as well, which we didn't have to deal with that in the last storm.

SANDOVAL: Our thanks to Vallery Maravi and her team been reporting on this storm. Thank you so much, Vallery, for showing us around there in Mystic, Connecticut.

Stay safe. Stay warm. You guys look great out there. Thank you.

MARAVI: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: We are now joined by the Governor of Connecticut. I want to go now to Ned Lamont.

Governor, you're -- thank you so much for taking the time by the way. I know it's been a very busy last few days preparing for tonight and potentially the coming days with the -- what we could see following the storm.

Can you bring our viewers up to speed on what you're seeing right now, and what information people need to know, especially there in the state of Connecticut?

GOV. NED LAMONT (D), CONNECTICUT: Yeah. Polo, as you just heard from Vallery, this is a wicked nor'easter. Probably the worst we've seen in 10 years or so.

As you heard from Vallery, this snow is much heavier than we're used to and also the winds are much stronger, 40 50, 60 miles an hour. You put that combination together. It's tough for the plow. The roads, some of the limbs of the trees get heavy, the limbs break. They take down electricity. So Eversource and UI are utilities, have hundreds of vehicles poised ready to respond. And DOT, our Department of Transportation has about 700 plows out there right now going nonstop.

SANDOVAL: Governor, you declared an emergency declaration or issued an emergency order, I should say, as well as a travel ban. Are people staying off the roads?

LAMONT: They are. They're staying off the roads. We said it's a ban on commercial vehicles.

Even the cars, the passenger cars that -- people are really good. This is not our first storm here. It's really important. The plows cannot get to work if some guy skids out on I-95, that can slow everything up for hours.

So, thank you to people in vehicles all over the region. Thank you for staying out of your cars for a while.

SANDOVAL: Governor, how unusual is it for state and local officials to issue these kinds of advisories in hopes of making sure that people stay as safe as possible? These travel bans.

LAMONT: One of the things you have to do is work in collaboration with your neighboring states. It doesn't do any good for Connecticut to say no commercial vehicles if New York and Massachusetts and Rhode Island have different rules.

So, we collaborated very closely on this speak with one voice that's particularly important. And people are following the lead. And I know people are going to get frustrated and lose patience in 24

hours. Give our folks time to get the roads cleared. You need the roads cleared, so we can get to the downed power wires and take care of them.

SANDOVAL: You've dealt with many a snowstorm in the past, particularly in your role as governor and plenty of blizzards as well. I wonder if there's anything that really stands out about this current weather event, Governor.

LAMONT: I worry about electricity. You know unlike, say, New York City, where most of the power lines are underground, given the nature of the urban environment. Most of ours are above ground on telephone poles. Trees hanging over, wet snow, freezing, falling, electricity goes out.

[21:15:01]

And we're being very careful to make sure that people have their phones powered up, their laptops powered up. If they have a telephone line, all the better. Contact, you know, your elderly or frail neighbors, make sure they're taken care of as well.

It's going to be a very fragile time. You know, obviously hospitals and nursing homes, big priorities for us. They generally have generators, but when they run out, we've got to make sure we have power for them.

SANDOVAL: Governor, obviously, we're hearing from experts is that the worst is still ahead for so many parts of the Northeast. Once everything is said and done, how long do you think it could potentially take for all those incredible teams out there that are on the streets plowing away to make those roads passable again, and for people to feel safe going back out again.

LAMONT: Depending on how long and how fast the snow goes, I think in 24 hours, we'll have all of our major arteries cleaned up assuming they, you know, the snow stops in the next 14 hours or so. Some of the side roads and smaller roads may take a little time.

Then the problem is electricity. And obviously, you go for the major substations first to take care of the bulk of the people but some of the folks at the end of a road, maybe only two or three houses, that may take two or three days.

SANDOVAL: Wondering if maybe there's any other recent update that you've received from your emergency operations center that you'd like to share with viewers who are tracking the storm along with you.

LAMONT: I think basically, if power goes out you can call 211. We'll tell you where the closest warming center is. Check in on your neighbors, make sure they're safe as well. I think those are big priorities. But basically, I know you're going to get a little frustrated as time goes on stay out of your car. Stay off the roads let our plows do their job, and let the utilities take care of the electricity SANDOVAL: It is a good night to fire up the oven and maybe make a nice

Connecticut pizza tonight, Governor. Thank you so much, as always for your time, for your updates and wish you and everybody in the state of Connecticut the best tonight.

LAMONT: Thanks for displaying the information. Thanks, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Of course, I do want you to stay with CNN. More of our breaking news coverage as this massive winter storm threatens whiteout conditions across the Northeast. A travel ban now in effect here in New York City.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:21:50]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to CNN's breaking news coverage of this massive storm maintaining a grip on the country's Northeast. These live pictures coming out of Philadelphia, it's really hard to tell what's in this picture. You see some street lighting there and some.

Just a few vehicles as travel bans, travel advisories are in effect for much of the region. That's because tonight, heavy, wet snow is falling across the Northeast as this massive storm slams into the region. Forecasters are telling people in New York City that they could see up to 18 inches of snow.

And everything is said and done while parts of Philadelphia, New Jersey and Boston could get more than 20. Already, schools are announcing closures for Monday and drivers are being urged to stay off the roads as strong winds threaten to bring whiteout conditions. Forecasters expecting winds could be compared to category one hurricane winds in some parts of the country.

And this storm, it's also impacting air travel. So far tonight, more than 3,300 flights have been canceled and more than 5,000 have been canceled for tomorrow. So, it's not looking good if you have plans to travel in or out of the Northeast.

Let's bring in now Clint Henderson. He's managing editor of travel website, The Points Guy.

Clint, great to see you. Thank you so much for checking in with us.

CLINT HENDERSON, MANAGING EDITOR, "THE POINTS GUY": Yeah, it's a real mess out there tonight. That's for sure.

SANDOVAL: It really is. Yeah, it really is. Especially with these cancellations. They seem to be getting even worse.

At this point, I wonder if you can tell our viewers, not just here in the U.S., but also those around the world what are some of the hardest hit airports at this hour? HENDERSON: Yeah, so, you've got pretty much the biggest airports in

the country. Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Boston, anywhere in the Northeast is going to be impacted down all the way to Washington, D.C.

So, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people, millions of people. And, you know, I was out in the streets myself this afternoon. It's really messy out there.

New York City itself is under a very unusual travel ban right now, all the way until noon tomorrow. And if there's anyone trying to fly out tomorrow, I say don't even bother. And make sure even if you're not in the Northeast, make sure you're checking because your plane might have supposed to be coming from the Northeast. So, you want to make sure you're monitoring flights really all this week.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, it's a really good and important reminder. Just because you don't live in the affected region doesn't mean that your flight could be spared some of the impacts.

And you and I know it, and so many of the people listening know from experience. They're often these residual effects. Even after that storm has come and gone. So how long do you expect flight operations to get as close to normal as possible?

HENDERSON: Yeah, it's going to take several days. In fact, I'm supposed to fly out of Newark myself on Tuesday. I'm not sure that flights going to make it. So I'm monitoring that very carefully.

Obviously, my general advice to folks, have the airline app installed on your phone, be monitoring the airport conditions, monitor your flight 24 hours before the flight happens. I use an app called flight to track my flights, but you have to be an informed consumer these days. Make sure you have situational awareness. But to answer your question specifically, I think we're looking at almost no flights going out of the Northeast tomorrow.

[21:25:02]

And then I think it's going to start to reopen Tuesday, Wednesday. But to get completely back to normal, we're talking midweek to the end of the week.

SANDOVAL: I saw the points guy also posted some tips and some recommendations for passengers when it comes to potential impact on their flight. What to know, what to be aware of if their flights are canceled. What's your advice for folks?

HENDERSON: So, the first thing to know is you do have some, right? So, if your flight is canceled by the airline or substantially delayed and you decide not to travel, you are entitled to a full and speedy refund. So these are new rules that went into place that haven't been messed with and that means that if you decide you know what? It's probably not worth it doing this quick business trip to the Northeast this week. I'm just going to bag the trip. You should get your money back, and you should get your money back

fairly quickly, but everything else compensation, hotel rooms, everything. When it comes to whether or what they call acts of God, you don't have many rights as a passenger. So, the airline is not going to pay for your hotel rooms necessarily. I mean, you can always ask, but it's not a -- it's not a passenger right that's enshrined in law.

SANDOVAL: So, what can travelers do to try to stay ahead of potential flight disruptions? I mean, you're leading the way with an example, staying informed to see if that flight to Newark happens or not. But what do you think people should be doing right now?

HENDERSON: So the good news is the airlines are being more flexible with travel waivers. So, all the major airlines have a waiver in place right now. So, if you have travel scheduled any time between now and basically the 28th, they're going to let you rebook without change fees or, you know, price differences in the ticket.

So, work with those travel waivers. I always tell folks to have a backup plan to go in, you know, if you're scheduled to fly tomorrow, do not even bother. I would just call the airline text the airline, use social media even to get ahold of them. If you can't get through and just ask to be rebooked on a later flight because the chances of you getting out tomorrow are very slim.

So, you've got to be an informed consumer, but you also have to be a proactive consumer in these situations. Because remember, everyone is trying to do the same thing you're trying to do. So have some -- and use all the tools in the toolbox, we always say.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, ultimately, if you don't take that quick action, that could potentially cost you with additional hotel nights or -- or just the time.

HENDERSON: Yeah.

SANDOVAL: Just the inconvenience of it all, which, which is just nasty.

Clint Henderson, thank you so much. And all the folks at "The Points Guy" for keeping us informed. Wish you the best.

Hopefully, we'll see you in Newark soon.

HENDERSON: Thank you. Stay warm.

SANDOVAL: Will do. Thank you.

HENDERSON: Exactly.

SANDOVAL: Dangerous conditions across the Northeast tonight. Officials are warning everybody to just stay inside. A few accidents have already been reported in New York, as a travel ban is in place at this hour. We'll be checking in with -- checking in with our reporter live in the field after a very short break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[21:32:33]

SANDOVAL: Just about 9:30 p.m. here in New York City, where we are closely following that developing news, that breaking news, I should say, of this massive storm that is maintaining a grip on the Northeast. This powerful winter storm that is also bringing some heavy snow to much of the region. It has already led to blizzard warnings from Virginia all the way to Maine, and it's prompting school closures throughout the region tomorrow.

It's also crippling transportation, both by air, some by rail. More than 5,000 flights have already been canceled for tomorrow. As you just heard in that last segment, it's important to stay as informed as you can if you're one of those passengers.

Snow totals, they could reach a foot and a half, possibly even two feet of snow, by tomorrow in some parts of this affected area. You see the forecast accumulation there.

We're joined now once again by CNN's Gloria Pazmino in New York, tracking the situation on the ground. And CNN meteorologist Chris Warren is closely following this weather system on the map.

Gloria, to you first. We're about 33 minutes now into this. I would say quite unusual travel ban. What does that look like? And what's Mayor Mamdani's goal in instituting that?

PAZMINO: Look, Polo, the goal here is to keep as many people off the roads as possible. The streets, the highways, the bridges across New York City are all shut down to traffic, with some exemptions -- essential workers, emergency workers. People are still going to be able to get around.

But if you really don't need to get behind the wheel, the mayor is asking New Yorkers to avoid doing so because it is dangerous out here. We've seen a lot of the streets around us here in Columbus Circle really clear up in the last hour or so. We're still seeing some vehicles on the road.

Weve seen a lot of NYPD vehicles patrolling the area as well. Of course, we are now seeing consistent plows going around. The wind now significantly picking up.

You can see there's the NYPD going by, and a person battling this wind with their umbrella. Conditions here really just starting to deteriorate.

Now, Governor Kathy Hochul has activated the National Guard. They are going to. Be people who may potentially need to be rescued --

SANDOVAL: Yeah. All right. Unfortunately, because of that wicked winter weather out there, that transmission taking some hits. [21:35:03]

But that last frame tells you just about everything you need to know. You see, basically horizontal snow there where my colleague Gloria Pazmino was reporting from there in, in Midtown Manhattan. As those conditions continue to deteriorate.

I want to see if we can go to our weather expert, meteorologist Chris Warren, at the weather center.

Chris, you just saw some of those live pictures from Gloria. What does that tell you when you see sideways snow? Again, this is coming from a non-expert. What does that tell you and what does that look like on the map?

WARREN: Well, first, just looking at that shot, Polo, I'm a little chilly just looking at that. And the winds are picking up. And what that tells me is that even though it is so early on in what is expected, it's going to get a lot worse.

So as bad as it is now this is just the beginning. This is the future satellite. And this is a storm that is bombing out, the bombogenesis, a bomb cyclone as you hear. And that's the explosive development of this.

The storm is going to develop so quickly. It's going to strengthen so quickly that it's like a bomb, an explosion. It's a metaphor for just how fast it is going to be developing and it's over the next few hours where it's going to be getting close to as strong as its going to be, and it will be as strong as its going to be in the morning, mid- morning or so. And it will remain that way until it leaves the U.S.

So, with Gloria's live location there, where she is in New York in Central Park and Columbus Circle with the snow blowing around, it's only going to get worse. The snow is only going to get heavier. And the National Weather Service has blizzard warnings posted for parts of 11 states here in the Northeast, close to 40 million people under a blizzard warning.

Winter storm warnings, which are also high impact warnings, the National Weather Service issues when it comes to the winter weather that extends well into central P.A., up the Hudson River Valley, Southern Vermont and New Hampshire, and a lot of Maine.

Here's the snow and what's happening right now. And you notice this. That is lightning closer to the center, another sign that there is intensification going on. This storm is getting stronger. It is going to end up being a beast.

The darker blue colors, purplish blue colors here. This is a look at the banding. So where you end up with the banding that lasts quite a while is where the snowfall totals are really going to add up.

And we're seeing a lot of that right now here in Delaware, pretty much across the entire state. A little bit of purple in here that's even heavier snow. And this is the kind of snowfall rates where a snowplow will come through, plow a street and will need to come back a couple hours later, maybe even an hour later in some cases.

And then there's these plumes like this moving into eastern Long Island. That's going to help add up help build up those snowfall totals. Things are getting going here in some of the south towns around Boston, Rhode Island. You're in it now.

Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, the Cape also in the snow. And it's going to last for most of the day tomorrow as well. Now, when we look at this, you can see some of the banding right in here. Some of those stripes, if you will, or some of the waves. Those are the heavier snow showers that are expected.

So, I point that out to show you this the snowfall from one model, reasonable scenario of what can happen, what's really relevant now are those bands and where it snows. The longest and heaviest. So, while this looks pretty uniform, it's going to be coming in pockets. So, it's really how the storm now develops and evolves through time, which will determine who ends up getting the most.

But you're going to be in it for quite a while here in that 95 corridor. Notice it's been snowing for the past couple of hours in many of these areas, or few hours depending on where you are. And by overnight tonight at 3:00 in the morning, still snowing, so still ongoing.

Let's take it forward again. Here's now around daybreak. Here's 7:00 in the morning, starting -- starting -- finally starting to come to an end here in Delaware. Still going here in southern New Jersey with the winds coming around here, coming from the east, pushing the water onshore. Absolutely howling with the winds and the snow still coming down true nor'easter.

There's the low. The northeast winds coming into Boston into Plymouth, into Duxbury, into the Cape. And by 8:00 tomorrow, you're still going to have a few bands there. So still snowing, possibly at Logan there in Boston before it eventually kicks out.

So, as all those winds are blowing, those winds are pushing water onshore so significant minor to moderate flooding is expected here from Virginia and Maryland coastal areas, all the way up, New Hampshire and into Maine as well.

[21:40:03]

So with that, the snow that's down there, the water coming on shore, the ice -- long lived ice scenarios not going to be as big of an issue as we've seen in some of the recent storms here in the Northeast, with daytime highs getting above the freezing mark throughout much of the week, right at the freezing mark on Tuesday. But the sun will help melt things a bit.

But I'll tell you what, Polo, tonight things are going downhill in a hurry the little saving grace is that it is tonight. It's not the middle of the week in the middle of the day where maybe you can catch people off guard or trying to be, you know, a little too brave in some cases, and it's going to be moving relatively quickly, even though it's going to be snowing in some areas for hours and hours and hours.

SANDOVAL: And there are a lot of children here in New York City that that is music to their ears, especially those that are getting their sleds ready for tomorrow, which is expected to be the actual first full snow day in a long time for the New York City schools.

Thank you so much, as always, Chris Warren, for spelling that out for us. Thank you.

We are going to continue following our breaking news situation here as the storm rages across the Northeast. A lot of people will be shoveling snow in the coming days. Throughout much of the Northeast, and it becomes more difficult when the snow isn't your usual powdery or fluffy snow.

You know, where I'm going with this. Where it's very difficult to shovel or plow some of this stuff. It's that heavy wet snow that's coming with this storm. It can be very dangerous and it's called heart attack snow because cleaning it up puts a massive strain on the body, specifically on the heart, especially for some of those folks who may not be in tip top shape.

CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner joins us now.

Dr. Reiner, thank you so much for joining us.

DR. JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: My pleasure, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Just before we get started, just sharing some numbers with our viewers shoveling snow, responsible for as many as 100 deaths on average each year what can you tell us about the so-called heart attack snow? What do people need to know?

REINER: So what people need to know is basically, on behalf of my brother and sister cardiologist up and down the East Coast, if you have a history of heart disease or if you have hypertension or diabetes or basically if you're over 50 and just out of shape, don't -- don't -- don't shovel snow. Pay the kid down the street to do it. Support your neighborhood economy. Pay somebody else -- else to do it.

Shoveling snow is an enormous amount of exercise. It's both aerobic exercise and isotonic exercise and you're doing it basically not in a refrigerator like rocket. You're doing it in a freezer. And those very low temperatures basically create a situation where your arteries constrict in the periphery, which raises your blood pressure and the arteries around your heart constrict. And that sort of decreases the supply to your heart. And you create this supply demand mismatch.

And if you are at risk of heart disease or you've had a stent in the past or a heart attack or bypass surgery, you can provoke an acute coronary event, like a heart attack. You mentioned about 100 people die every year shoveling snow. In the last storm one month ago, I went in during the storm I was on call. Take care of somebody who was having a heart attack and a couple of thousand people in the United States probably have a heart attack every year as a consequence of shoveling. So, if you can avoid it, and you -- and you have any of those risk

factors that I mentioned, don't show.

SANDOVAL: And it's really important and especially glad that you mentioned those who know that they have a history of heart disease or heart illness. What about those, though, who may have one and not even know it? Are there any specific signs or symptoms that people should be on the lookout for when they're shoveling snow? That they should take a break?

REINER: Sure. Yeah, sure. So, as you said, sort of the wet snow, which basically we get when the temperatures are not as cold as they were a month ago that wet snow is heavily laden with water. And this wet snow can basically weigh, you know, four times as much as sort of the dry powder that you can get in some of the western ski resorts.

And lifting that is a shocking amount of exercise. A person who's not well-trained, shoveling snow for two minutes can get their heart rate up to about 85 percent of their maximum predicted heart rate, which would be basically the heart rate that you would achieve if you were being chased by a tiger. So that's in two minutes.

So, it's basically and a very severe stress to so symptoms that you would have would be shortness of breath, very fast heartbeat, maybe you start sweating, maybe you start to get a little bit dizzy.

[21:45:00]

And if you have any symptoms shoveling snow, it's time to stop.

The other thing I'll mention is that it's easier to push the snow than it is to lift it. Also, you know, take breaks when you're doing it. If you're expected to get a lot of snow, don't wait to shovel until you have two feet. Do this in in several batches.

And again, if you have any doubt, pay somebody else to do it.

SANDOVAL: You answered my next two questions. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, as always we really appreciate your insight. Thank you so much for your time.

REINER: Thank you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Another quick look at the conditions across the Northeast after a very quick break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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[21:50:21]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back to our breaking news coverage of this major snowstorm. You can also call it a bomb cyclone. Whatever you call it, it is now starting to make its presence known in the Northeast. Right now, tens of millions of people, they are under blizzard warnings.

As much as two feet of snow expected to fall in some areas, and in wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour in parts of the region. And this could make for extremely dangerous whiteout conditions. Multiple states, they already have drive bans in effect right now likely to stay in place until tomorrow.

And then, of course, there's air travel. It is just paralyzed in some parts of the country. More than 8,000 flights today already have been canceled and there are many more that are expected to be canceled tomorrow as well.

And we're also following breaking news out of Mexico. There is a really a trail of destruction that was left behind in the Mexican state of Jalisco and surrounding areas after the death of a notorious cartel boss. Authorities say that suspected gang members set buses on fire blocking roads in the area and also clashed with authorities. The violence, in response to the leader of the powerful and ruthless Jalisco New Generation drug cartel being killed in a Mexican military operation on Sunday. Four other gang members were also killed at the scene.

The cartel boss, known as El Mencho, was widely regarded as really one of the country's most violent criminals. A U.S. defense official tell CNN that American task force also played a role in the operation, that the initiative that was launched joint cooperation by the U.S. and Mexican government.

El Mencho was also wanted in the U.S. The Justice Department offering a $15 million reward for any information that would have led to his arrest. The U.S. embassy in Mexico also issued a shelter in place order to all U.S. citizens in areas where security operations are taking place.

And among them is the woman who can only call Mari. She is an American who was visiting Puerto Vallarta when the attacks broke out. She's sheltering in place in her Airbnb.

Mari, can you hear me? Okay

MARI, SHELTERING IN PLACE IN HER PUERTO VALLARTA AIRBNB (via telephone): Yeah, I can hear you.

SANDOVAL: So, Mari, I'm wondering if you could bring our viewers up to speed on what you saw, what you heard on Sunday there in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta?

MARI: Yeah, well, we saw we thought it was just a structure fire. And then we figured out pretty fast that it was not. We were just looking on social media and Reddit and stuff, and -- yeah, I mean, it was in Zona Romantica at like 8:00 a.m. and it was a pretty big plume of smoke. A plume of smoke, but -- and then all day long, we have a clear view of the whole day, just like smoke and fire.

We couldn't see fire actually. Just smoke all over the place.

SANDOVAL: Yeah, we're seeing some pictures. We're seeing some of those pictures of those plumes of smoke. I'm wondering -- you know, in just looking around, hearing from folks on the ground, have you heard from local officials? What are they telling people in terms of how long this could last? And perhaps most importantly, how are they explaining this rash of violence that broke out today?

MARI: Oh, I mean, explaining it. It's pretty obvious. I mean, the cartel leader died last night so that's what happened. But they have said shelter in place tomorrow. We're following all the rules.

We've -- I've just been on social media talking with our Airbnb host. Just being informed that way. But, I mean, we're not leaving our place or anything like that. And the cartel are driving by our Airbnb nonstop on motorcycles.

SANDOVAL: Right, and I guess what I'm wondering is if local officials there, are they attributing to this violence being sort of cartel on cartel clashes, as some of these folks try to fill that void that was left behind with the death of Mencho? Or are these clashes between security forces and members of organized crime?

MARI: My naive understanding of all of this is it's just cartel retaliation. And so -- for what happened last night, but I won't pretend to -- I need to read a book on everything, on what's going on right now. I mean, it's -- it's deeper than anything that I know about, but I am knowledgeable in what I know.

But yeah, I think it's retaliation. And I think everyone else here knows that, too. So. Yeah but from what I've heard and also know, like, I think that things are much calmer now and I feel really bad for the people that live here and what they're -- we're just tourists. We don't live here. This is our home, but I think it's unfortunate what's going on.

SANDOVAL: Yeah. Puerto Vallarta is just one of many parts of Mexico that have found themselves in the middle of this -- of the crossfire here between the cartel and Mexican military.

[21:55:07]

Mari, thank you so much for your time. We wish you a safe return home. Thanks for checking in with us.

And stay with CNN. Much more on our breaking news coverage of the blizzard that's hitting the Northeast after this short break. As we head to our break, our cameraman in New Jersey showing us just how much snow has fallen in the last few hours. Take a look at this.

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