12:55 p.m. EST January 25, 2016 NEW YORK — A massive winter storm ground New York City and surrounding suburbs to a halt Saturday, forcing a vehicle travel ban, closing or curtailing rail and subway service and shutting theaters as higher-than-forecast snowfall inundated the metropolitan area.

The storm, at least the third-largest in city weather history as it continued to rage into late Saturday night, also proved deadly. Three snow shovelers, one on Staten Island and two in Queens, died of apparent heart-related injuries, said James O'Neill, chief of department for the New York Police Department.

All non-government motor traffic in New York City and on Long Island's Northern State Parkway and Long Island Expressway was banned starting at 2:30 p.m., New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced during an afternoon briefing after he issued an emergency declaration for southeastern New York.

Cuomo said he and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also agreed to order a 2:30 p.m. halt to travel on all Port Authority bridges and tunnels that cross the Hudson River to New York City from New Jersey.

Service on the suburban Metro-North and Long Island Railroad powered down, and the final trains ended service for the day at 4 p.m., Cuomo and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said.

MTA Transit Authority President Ronnie Hakim said service at all New York City subway stations where the rail system runs above ground also ended at 4 p.m. She urged riders to check www.mta.info for updates.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced shortly before 6 p.m. that the travel ban, initially scheduled to expire at midnight, had been extended until Sunday morning. Cuomo's office tweeted later that the ban would be lifted at 7 a.m. Sunday, "which gives workers the night to clear roads."

The MTA halted the city's public bus service at noon Saturday, as the National Weather Service raised New York City snowfall predictions to 24-28 inches.

Earlier forecasts had projected up to 18 inches of snow, but 11.5 inches blanketed Manhattan's Central Park by late morning as the blizzard continued to rage. By 7 p.m., the Central Park total stood at 25,1 inches, making the event the third-largest single snowstorm measured at the location since city weather record-keeping began in 1869.

The National Weather Service said the continuing storm could surpass the city's largest similar event, the Feb. 11-12, 2006 snow storm that dropped a measured 26.9 inches at Central Park.

The storm, which was often accompanied by winds that gusted over 30 miles per hour, also flirted with blizzard status during its rampage.

"This storm has come in wetter, stronger and farther north than most of the models predicted," said John Davitt, chief meteorologist for NY1, a New York City 24-hour cable news station.

In light of the travel bans, de Blasio asked New York City's restaurant and Broadway theater owners to close for the day, and allow employees to return home. The Broadway League subsequently announced a cancellation of Saturday matinee and evening performances.