Heavy snow forces New York to close schools, halt flights

According to local TV channel NY1, the city announced on Tuesday the closing of all public schools for Wednesday and all after-school and Public School Athletic League events have also been suspended.

The city's Department of Education officials and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were cited as saying that travel conditions are expected to worsen as the day goes on.

While local airports are technically open, most flights have been canceled, and pilots and airlines are asking travelers to be patient.

Moreover, there are numerous cancellations of buses in and out of the Port Authority bus terminal, one of the major bus terminals in the city.

Up to 15 cm of snow has already fallen across the city, and a total of up to 30 cm of snow is expected across the five boroughs of the city.

Meanwhile, city and state agencies are beginning to tackle the snow removal.

All city offices will remain open. However, New York City courts will be closed except for family and criminal emergency applications, Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.news.xinhuanet.com for full version.