Winter Storm January 2015: Blizzard Juno Affects 29 Million in Northeast, Cancels 5,200 Flights

Blizzard Juno, the first blizzard of the year, continues its path across the country and is now headed northeast with more than 29 million people already affected, International Business Times reported.

New York already declared a state of emergency, as well as Boston, Connecticut and New Jersey. Mass transit has shut down; restaurants, stores and other establishments are closing; and airports are shutting down flights. Nearly 5,200 flights have been canceled which spells bad news for travelers.

The MTA also suspended buses, train and subway services, which is the first time subways have been halted for snow, added International Business Times.

They released a statement saying, "If you don't have to travel between now and later this evening, we urge you to stay home." However, they added 26 extra trains to the Metro-North and LIRR schedules that will depart from Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station in case there are people who really needed to get home or travel.

New York governor Andrew Cuomo is also insisting that residents gather food and essentials and then stay at home, according to ABC.

"It could be a matter of life and death, and that's not being overly dramatic, so caution is required," he stated as quoted in the report.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is also cautioning people, calling it possibly the largest storm in the history of New York.

"Recognise this as an emergency," he said. "You can't underestimate this storm. It's not a typical storm. It's going to pack a real punch."

The National Weather Service has issued blizzard warnings across the northeast, and cautioned people over the possibility of flooding, strong winds and power outages. They are particularly looking at the storm affecting the New Jersey shore to the Downeast Maine and cities such as Boston, Hartford, Portland and Providence, according to Weather.

The storm already poured one to two feet of snow, the report added, with snow drifts that reach even higher, and the heaviest snowfall expected in New Jersey, New England and eastern Pennsylvania. However, researchers and experts predicted that the blizzard will reportedly peak by Tuesday evening and will likely come in at a rate of two to four inches of snowfall per hour.

What meteorologists are also cautious about is the possibility of lightning and thunder accompanying the heavy snow, according to Independent.

"This is not going to be a run-of-the-mill nor'easter. This storm has the potential to be a historic storm," stated meteorologist Alan Dunham from the National Weather Service.

If worse comes to worst, Winter Storm Juno was likely to beat one of the biggest storms that hit New York City in February 2006, which recorded snowfall of up to 26.9 inches. The upper estimates for Juno goes past that record.