Feb. 23, 2026 — New York A rapidly intensifying nor’easter, unofficially named Winter Storm Hernando, brought blizzard conditions to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on Monday, with snowfall up to 3 feet in places, wind gusts to 98 mph, over 600,000 power outages and more than 5,000 flight cancellations affecting over 69 million people under winter storm or blizzard warnings from Maryland to Massachusetts.
States of emergency were declared in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Delaware and parts of New England, prompting widespread travel bans, school closures and transit shutdowns, according to NBC News and Wikipedia.
In New York City, 16-19 inches of snow fell by afternoon, with more than 2 feet reported in parts of eastern Staten Island. Travel bans were in effect citywide from 9 p.m. Sunday to noon Monday, limited to essential and emergency vehicles, while New Jersey extended restrictions until noon. New Jersey Transit suspended all services.
“The worst has passed,” NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at 1:30 p.m. EST. “As of this afternoon, the blizzard has dumped 16-19 inches of snow on most parts of New York City… These are dangerous conditions. Not only is snow continuing to fall, accumulated snowfall and refreezing have made it hazardous to travel… If you can, remain indoors.”
Power outages affected nearly 300,000 customers in Massachusetts, 135,000 in New Jersey and others across the region. Major airports including JFK, LaGuardia and Newark saw over 2,500 cancellations, with 89% of flights out of JFK grounded. Schools in New York City and Boston remained closed Monday, with in-person classes resuming Tuesday.
The National Weather Service warned of whiteout conditions with snowfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour and winds of 40-70 mph. Maximum gusts reached 84 mph in Montauk, New York, and 98 mph in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Forecasts called for 18-24 inches in New York City and up to 32.8 inches near Warwick, Rhode Island.
The storm originated from a shortwave trough on February 20, undergoing explosive cyclogenesis off the U.S. East Coast, deepening to 966 millibars by Monday afternoon. Two fatalities were reported in Maryland from a falling tree. Additional impacts included coastal flooding in New Jersey and overturned vehicles in snow.
