80M people under watches, warnings, advisories as dangerous snowstorm pounds Midwest, Northeast John Bacon, USA TODAY
Replay Video UP NEXT
ARLINGTON, Va. New Jersey and New York City declared emergencies on Sunday as a powerful winter storm that hammered the West last week roared through the Midwest and took aim at the Northeast.
Blizzard conditions with up to 2 feet of snow were possible for some areas.
Almost 80 million people were under winter storm warnings, watches and advisories. Major Eastern cities including Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City were bracing for the biggest snowfall of the season, Accuweather warned.
The National Weather Service also forecast that winds could gust between 35 to 50 mph, reducing visibility with drifting snow and leading to danger of falling tree branches and power lines.
Chicago schools reopening remains in limbo amid union negotiations
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has called on teachers to return to classrooms Monday, despite the city not having reached an agreement with the Chicago Teachers Union on how and when to reopen schools in the nation s third-largest district. Approximately 70,000 students were originally expected to return to classes Monday, but Lightfoot said she was directing parents not to bring their students to school until Tuesday. She called on all pre-K through 8 teachers, except those with preapproved accommodations, to return to schools Monday. Lightfoot and union officials said they have reached an agreement on four key issues: health and safety protocols, ventilation, contact tracing and safety committees. But outstanding issues include telework accommodations for teachers with immunocompromised household members, a public health metric that would guide school reopening, vaccinations for educators and more.