New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York City will suspend its bus, subway and commuter rail service Sunday evening ahead of super-storm Sandy.

“You don’t want to be over panicked and overly prepared, but you want to be prudent and do what’s necessary,” Cuomo said. The transit system will close at 7 p.m. ET, he said. 

The system had already been told to prepare for a possible “orderly suspension” of service.

New Jersey’s PATH train service, which transports passengers between New York City and New Jersey, also announced Sunday that it would close starting Monday until further notice.

New York  City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the closure of all city public schools for Monday and mandatory evacuations of all low-lying areas. He urged residents in lower Manhattan to call 311 or visit the city’s website for information on evacuation zones.

Cuomo added that bridges and tunnels around New York will be closed on a case-by-case basis, and 1,100 National Guard troops will be deployed to the area, including 400 on Long Island and 200 in New York City.

“If you don’t evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you,” Bloomberg said. “This is nothing to play with, and this is nothing to take lightly. So take it seriously. I know that we are.”

Computer models predict portions of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia could see up to a foot of rain, and communities in and around the Appalachian Mountains could see heavy snow.