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A powerful nor'easter is expected to intensify into a "bomb cyclone" this weekend, bringing blizzard conditions, heavy snow, and damaging winds from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.

Blizzard warnings have been issued across the East Coast from Virginia to New Hampshire, including all five boroughs of New York City.

You can track Winter Storm Hernando's movementshere. We're recommending that anyone in the region avoid travel, as dangerous road conditions are expected through Monday. As snow piles up and winds rise, power outages and flight cancellations are expected.

We'll be bringing you live updates of the storm as they happen, covering every angle of this storm.

(02:15 p.m. EST) Shovel Smart, Not Hard

From Content Writer Toby Adeyemi

A quick reminder for snow shovelers out there:

Push, don't lift. Slide snow to the side instead of picking it up, this will save your back and your energy. Bend with your knees, not your back. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, back straight, and let your legs do the work. Don't twist your body. Move your feet to face where you're tossing the snow, twisting is how people get hurt. Go light. Only fill the shovel halfway, especially if it's wet or packed. Shovel often. Clear snow early and frequently before it gets heavy or icy. Clear around fire hydrants. Keep a 3-foot radius open so emergency crews can access them fast if needed.

(01:45 p.m. EST) Transit To Halt In New Jersey

New Jersey Transit has announced that bus and light rail service will be halted at 6 p.m. tonight.

(01:20 p.m. EST) Delays Mount At Airports Along The East Coast

We began the day with hundreds of flight cancellations at each of the New York City area airports and now delays are beginning to mount along the East Coast. More than 15,000 delayed flights have already been reported today across the country. Expect that number to continue to rise as gridlock begins to cascade across airports.

Some travelers, like this one below at LaGuardia Airport, are settling in for a long wait.

(12:54 p.m. EST) NYC Announces Travel Ban

A travel ban will go into effect at 9 p.m. tonight in New York City, with all roads and bridges closed to non-essential traffic.

(12:48 p.m. EST) Cutting It Close

As Winter Storm Hernando slowly inches toward the coast, shoppers at a hardware store in Quincy, Massachusetts were seen picking up last minute essentials this morning, including snowblower fuel, rock salt, and this snow shovel. If you still need supplies before this blizzard, there isn't much time left.

(12:22 p.m. EST) Schools, Broadway Announce Cancellations In New York

Closures and cancellations are just beginning to roll in across New York City. All Broadway performances at 6 p.m. have been cancelled ina joint announcementAfter a small delay, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also announced that public schools will be closed on Monday.

(11:55 a.m. EST) How To Save On Heating During A Blizzard

From content writer Toby Adeyemi

During Winter and especially during Blizzards, people tend to see an uptick in their energy bills. Here's how to save some coins during the winter months

Don't ignore your heating system!

Get the maintenance done, it'll save you in the long run! Change air filters regularly, clear vents of dust, and schedule a professional tune-up.

Close the doors and vents

Keeps warm air circulating in the spaces you actually live in

Smart Thermostat = Smart Heating

Program your thermostat to lower while you're asleep or away, then warm up before you return.

(11:25 a.m. EST) New York City Hiring Locals To Shovel Snow

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford

New York City has had its fair share of snowstorms, and they have a creative idea to help keep the city from completely shutting down.

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They are offering people part-time jobs paying 19 dollars an hour to help shovel snow.

(10:53 a.m. EST) Grocery Lines Stretch Down City Blocks

New Yorkers were lining up for groceries early on Saturday morning to gather supplies and prepare for the blizzard.

(10:21 a.m. EST) Boston Facing Historic, Destructive Winds

It isn't all just snow. The NWS forecast for Boston includes some extremely dangerous wind gusts, potentially reaching as high as 70 mph.

(09:55 a.m. EST) Snowfall Forecast To Reach Between 16 And 24 Inches

The latest snowfall forecast from the National Weather Service includes some eye-popping totals, including 20 inches in New York City.

(09:30 a.m. EST) Things To Do For Your Car Before Going Outside In A Blizzard

If you absolutely have to get in your car during blizzard conditions, don't forget these essential safety tips.

Check your lights. Test headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and flashers because visibility will be low. Top off windshield wiper fluid. Use winter-grade fluid with de-icer and replace worn blades. Check your coolant. Make sure it's full and meets manufacturer specs. Stock an emergency kit. Pack a snow shovel, ice scraper, sand or kitty litter for traction, jumper cables, flashlight, flares, first aid kit, and blankets. Keep your tank full. For gas vehicles, stay near full; for electric/hybrid, keep your battery charged so you're not stranded.

(09:05 a.m. EST) Sanitation Workers Outfit Garbage Trucks With Plows, Chains

New York City Department of Sanitation workers were up late last night outfitting garbage trucks with tire chains and snow plows in preparation for Winter Storm Hernando.

(08:50 a.m. EST) National Weather Service Predicts Extreme Impacts

It doesn't get higher than that folks. As the NWS is warning, we're expecting "widespread disruptions to daily life" as this storm passes through.

(08:35 a.m. EST) Timing of Snowfall For Major Northeast Cities

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford

For New York City and Philadelphia, the heaviest snowfall is expected through the overnight hours. Snowfall rates could exceed 1 inch per hour and winds could gust to 55 mph.

For Boston, the heaviest snowfall is expected through the day on Monday, specifically between 5 am and 4 pm. Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour are possible with some areas potentially seeing snowfall up to 3 inches per hour.

(08:05 a.m. EST) Rhode Island Expecting Biggest Snowfall Of The Season

From Content Writer Toby Adeyemi

Rhode Island is about to catch its biggest snowstorm of the season. A winter storm watch is in effect from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning, with Providence potentially seeing 15 inches of snow. Rhode Island has been warned to expect possible blizzard conditions, total accumulations between 14 and 18 inches, and wind gusts up to 55 mph. The snow's expected to be wet and heavy, so power outages are definitely on the table. Right now's the time to lock in your prep.

(07:42 a.m. EST) Flight Cancellations

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford and Wyatt Williams

Flight delays and cancellations will be a major issue as Winter Storm Hernando moves up the East Coast. As of this morning, New York City leads the way with more than 60% of flights into JFK and Laguardia airports already canceled for the day. Boston Logan International, Philadelphia International and Ronald Regean National in D.C. are also seeing hundreds of flight cancellations.

So far, delays have yet to stack up, but we expect to see major issues as the day goes on. We'll update you when we know more.

(07:05 a.m. EST) What Is A Blizzard?

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford

A blizzard is defined as meeting the following criteria:

• Blowing and/or falling snow

• Winds at least 35 mph

• Reduction of visibility to quarter mile or less

• These conditions last at least 3 hours

Blizzard warnings are in place for New York City from Sunday morning to Monday morning. Snowfall totals over a foot and winds gusting to 55 mph will cause major impacts on commutes.

(07:15 a.m. EST) It Has Been A Snowy Winter

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford

If you are wondering if this winter has been snowier than average, you would be correct. Some major metropolitan areas have seen above-average snowfall this year and crushed last years snowfall.

The most impressive is Boston, which has seen over 40 inches of snowfall this year so far. That is more than 8 inches above average and greatly tops last year's 28.1 inches.

New York City is also above average this year with a snowfall total of 22.3 inches. They only saw 12.9 inches all of last winter, so it looks like the city will double their snowfall from last year.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The next round of talks between the United States andIranwill be Thursday in Geneva, Oman's foreign minister said Sunday, shortly after Tehran's top diplomat said he expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff then.

Iran Daily Life

Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said on social media he was pleased to confirm the development, "with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal." Oman previously hosted theindirect talkson the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and facilitated the latest round in Geneva last week.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had told CBS in an interview aired Sunday that a "good chance" remained for a diplomatic solution on the nuclear issue, adding it was the only matter being discussed.

The Trump administration has been pushing for concessions from its longtime adversary and has built up thelargest U.S. military presence in the Middle Eastin decades.

President Donald Trump warned on Friday thatlimited strikes against Iranare possible, even as Araghchi at the time said Tehran expected to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days.

Araghchi told CBS that Iran was still working on the draft proposal. He added that Iran has the right to enrich uranium. On Friday, he said his U.S. counterparts had not asked for zero enrichment as part of the latest round of talks, which is not what U.S. officials have said publicly.

Both Iran and the U.S. havesignaled they are prepared for warif talks on Tehran's nuclear program fail.

Minutes after Oman's confirmation of talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on social media that "recent negotiations involved the exchange of practical proposals and yielded encouraging signals. However, we continue to closely monitor U.S. actions and have made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario."

The U.S. has said Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should onlyfocus on its nuclear program, and that it hasn't been enriching uranium sinceU.S. and Israeli strikeson Iranian nuclear sites in June.

Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.

Talks were deadlocked for years after Trump's decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw the U.S.from Iran's 2015 nuclear dealwith world powers. Since then, Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.

New protests in Iran

Confirmation of new talks came as new anti-government protests began inIran, according to witnesses, as university students in Tehran and another city demonstrated around memorials for thousands of people killed in acrackdown on previous nationwide demonstrationsabout six weeks ago.

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Iran's state news agency said students protested at five universities in the capital, Tehran, and one in the city of Mashhad on Sunday. The scattered protests erupted Saturday at universities following 40-day memorials for people killed in January during anti-government rallies.

Iran's government has not commented on the latest protests.

Many Iranians have held ceremonies marking the traditional 40-day mourning period in the past week. Most of the protesters are believed to have been killed around Jan. 8 and 9, according to activists tracking the situation.

Iranians across the country are still reeling withshock,griefandfearafter the earlier protests were crushed by the deadliest crackdown ever seen under the rule of 86-year-oldSupreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands are believed to have beenarrested.

Although the crackdown tamped down the largest protests, smaller ones are still occurring, according to protesters and to videos shared on social media.

Duringthe 1979 Islamic Revolutionthat toppled the shah andbrought the Islamic Republic to power, 40-day memorials for slain protesters often turned into rallies that security forces tried to crush, causing new deaths. Those were then marked 40 days later, with new protests.

Posts on social media Saturday and Sunday have alleged that security forces tried to restrict people from attending some 40-day ceremonies.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says at least 7,015 people were killed in the previous protests and crackdown, including 214 government forces. The group has been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists there to verify deaths.

The death toll continues to rise as the group crosschecks information despite disrupted communication with those inside the Islamic Republic.

Iran's government offered its only death toll from the previous protests on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed. Iran's theocracy in the past has undercounted or not reported fatalities from past unrest.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll, given authorities have disrupted internet access and international calls in Iran.

Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.

U.S. Secret Service agents and local police shot and killed an armed man who allegedly breached a secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago and raised a gun at law enforcement officials in the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 22.

A security detail detected the man near the north gate of PresidentDonald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, at about 1:30 a.m. local time. Authorities said he was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can. The president was in Washington during the incident and not at his property.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that the man reached the property's inner perimeter near its entrance, prompting a sheriff's deputy and two Secret Service agents to go to the area and investigate.

"They confronted a White male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun," Bradshaw said. "He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position. At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat."

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Bradshaw said, and no agents were injured.

Nobody who receives protection from the Secret Service was present at the time of the shooting, Secret Service communication chief Anthony Guglielmi said innews release.

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Officials have not released the man's identity, but they said he was in his early 20s. When asked if the man was already known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said "not right now." He said he could not yet confirm how many shots were fired because the incident remains under active investigation, with the FBI taking lead.

Authorities asked people who live in the area to look at any security footage they may have from around their homes and report anything suspicious to the FBI or local authorities.

In aposton social media, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Secret Service "acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person." She also slammed Democrats for the ongoingpartial government shutdown,during which the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, has faced a lapse in funding.

In September 2024, Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt while he golfed at his club in suburban West Palm Beach, a short drive from Mar-a-Lago.RyanWesley Routhwas found guilty of attempting to assassinate the then-presidential nominee. It was the second attempt on Trump's life in the run-up to the November 2024 election, preceded by the shooting in July at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In January 2020, a woman drove an SUV through barriers at Mar-a-Lago, prompting the Secret Service and Palm Beach County sheriff's officers to fire at her vehicle. The woman, opera singer Hannah Roemhild, was found not guilty byreason of insanity.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@usatoday.comand on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Man shot and killed after allegedly breaching Mar-a-Lago

MILAN — Sidney Crosby has been ruled out of Canada's Olympic gold-medal game against the United States. The news came about an hour before the start of the game.

Crosby, a two-time Olympic gold medalist,suffered a lower-body injury during Canada's quarterfinal victory over Czechia. His status for Sunday's game had been in doubt right up until the official announcement.

In the game against Czechia, Crosby was hit along the boards in the second period by Czechia's Martin Nečas and Radko Gudas, the third major hit he'd taken that period. He exited the ice soon afterward, limped toward the locker room, and was soon ruled out of that game.

Canada head coach Jon Cooper said on Friday that he believed Crosby had a chance to play in the gold-medal game, but clearly the 38-year-old Canadian captain did not recover in time to be in Canada's active lineup.

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"He's Sidney Crosby," Connor McDavid said after Crosby's injury. "He's going to have a big influence no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup, he's going to have a big influence. That's what he does."

Crosby, the oldest player on Canada's roster, has played in three Olympic Games for Canada, and has won two golds, in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. Crosby scored Canada's golden overtime goal in 2010 that sent Canada past the United States. He skated in practice on both Friday and Saturday but made no public statements, as both practices were closed to media.

McDavid will again be the playing captain for Team Canada, as he has been since Crosby's injury.

Crosby has scored two goals and four assists while in Milan, and holds the Canadian NHL-era Olympic record with 16 total points.

Less than a week remains before thecollege basketball calendar turns to March.

TheNCAA Tournament fieldis somewhat starting to shape up, with multiple teams pulling ahead as potential national championship favorites. Saturday, Feb. 21, was potentially even a Final Four preview, withNo. 3 Duke defeating No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Arizona beating No. 2 Houston.

March Madness bracketology:NCAA Tournament field prediction has new No. 1 seed

There are also assuredly to be a few bid stealers come conference championship season, which almost always throws a wrench when in the NCAA's plans with crafting the 68-team bracket.

Here's a look at the latest NCAA Tournament preview, including bubble teams and locks to reach March Madness:

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March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker

Based on games through Saturday, Feb. 21

NCAA Tournament locks

• Big Ten (7): Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin

• Big 12 (6): Iowa State, Arizona, Kansas, Houston, BYU, Texas Tech

• ACC (6): Duke, Louisville, Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson, NC State

• SEC (5): Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee

• Big East (3): UConn, Villanova, St. John's

• Other (2): Utah State, Saint Louis

There are 27 virtual locks for the NCAA Tournament, according toBart Torvik's "TourneyCast,"one of multiple metrics used by the NCAA in deciding the bracket. Each team listed has a 99.8% chance or better to reach the Tournament, perTorvik.

Torvik's metrics are part of the NCAA's BPI equation, alongside other third-party analyst Ken Pomeroy, who runs KenPom.

NCAA Tournament likely ins

• Big 12 (1): UCF

• Big Ten (2): Indiana, UCLA

• ACC (2): SMU, Miami

• SEC (4): Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia

• Big East (0): N/A

• Other (3): Saint Mary's, New Mexico

There are a lot fewer likely-in teams than locks, due to there still being a few weeks left in the regular season, along with conference tournaments. Teams included have between a 70% and 99.8% chance to reach the NCAA Tournament, per Torvik.

NCAA Tournament bubble teams

• Big 12 (3): TCU, West Virginia, Cincinnati

• Big Ten (3): Ohio State, USC, Washington

• ACC (2): Virginia Tech, Cal

• SEC (2): Auburn, Missouri

• Big East (1): Seton Hall

• Other (3): Santa Clara, San Diego State, VCU

Not all of these teams will reach the NCAA Tournament, and some might only have a chance at earning a bid through the conference tournament. Still, these teams have between a 5% and 57% chance of reaching the tournament as an at-large team, per Torvik.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out and on NCAA Tournament bubble

World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul thrilled her home crowd -- and her mother -- when she shot a 68 to win the Honda LPGA Thailand by one stroke on Sunday.

Playing on a humid day in which the temperature reached the low 90s, Thitikul kept her cool and birdied the par-4 17th hole to take the lead over Chizzy Iwai of Japan. For the tournament, Thitikul played to a 24-under 264 at the Siam Country Club Old Course in Pattaya.

It was her first win in her home tournament.

Iwai (66) got off to a fast start on Sunday, playing the first 10 holes at 6-under with two birdies and two eagles. But she couldn't get any closer, ending the final round with eight consecutive pars.

Hyo Joo Kim (68) finished two strokes back at 22-under and in sole possession of third place. Fellow South Korean Somi Lee (68) was in fourth place at 21-under.

New Zealand's Lydia Ko (68) finished at 20-under, tied for fifth with Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark, who recorded a 63 to surge up the leaderboard.

This was the eighth LPGA Tour victory for Thitikul, who turned 23 on Friday. She ranked it as a career highlight after the round.

"I would rate it like A-plus-plus-plus," she sad. "I know it's not that big event like compared to the majors, but like for us, for me, winning in my home country just means a lot to me, sometime more than a major feeling."

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Thitikul said Saturday her mother doesn't see her play much, and she was delighted her mom was in the gallery on Sunday to share in the experience.

"My mom just came up to me when I finished 18 and she cried a lot, and then I told her, 'I finally won the tournament in front of you. Like you were here with me.'

"So she's just really emotional. Make me emotional, too."

For Iwai, the experience could foreshadow a strong season, she said.

"It was good play. Today is 6-under," Iwai said. "Yeah, not bad, but didn't get win.

"...I get a lot of confidence [from] that play today, so, yeah, I feel more get confidence and then trust my instincts, trust myself. It's going to be fun this season."

Defending champion Angel Yin (70) finished at 5-under 283 and in a tie for 48th.

--Field Level Media

TSA PreCheck will remain operational for now, a spokesperson for the agency said Sunday, reversing earlier indications that the Department of Homeland Security's expedited screening program would be suspended amid the department's funding lapse.

However, the TSA "will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly" depending on "staffing constraints," the spokesperson added in a statement.

"Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America's skies," the statement said.

The Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program allows vetted passengers to forgo customary security check-in lines for quicker passage. U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Global Entry, which offers similarly rapid check-ins for Americans at U.S. ports of entry, was also suspended. The TSA spokesperson did not address that status of that program on Sunday.

The suspension of both programs, first reported byThe Washington Post,was supposed to start at 6 a.m. ET on Sunday, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blamed congressional Democrats and said the lack of funding endangers Americans and puts personnel in a financial bind.

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"Shutdowns have serious real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security," Noem said in a statement.

The DHS funding shutdown started Feb. 14 as the White House and Senate Democrats negotiate changes to DHS and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency aftertwo people were killed by federal law enforcementin Minneapolis amid a federal immigration crackdown.

Personnel at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the TSA and the Coast Guard aren't being paid, though most will continue coming to work because their jobs are considered critical.

ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel are continuing their paid work under $75 billion in funding approved last year under President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending law.

Noem said CBP and the TSA will prioritize "the general traveling population," while FEMA will halt nondisaster responses amid the funding lapse.

"This is particularly important given this weekend anothersignificant winter stormis forecast to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States," she said in her statement Saturday.