February 24, 2026 — New York City and Northeast U.S. A powerful bomb cyclone blizzard battered the Northeast megalopolis starting February 23, dumping 2-3 feet of snow across areas including New York City, New England, and surrounding regions, while hurricane-force wind gusts reached 80 mph.
Blizzard warnings impacted up to 40 million people from Maryland to Maine, leading to over 650,000 power outages, thousands of flight cancellations, and widespread road closures, according to reports from CNN and ABC News.
Record snowfall shattered previous marks in some spots, with 36.2 inches measured near Warwick, Rhode Island, as detailed in The New York Times live updates. The Washington Post reported similar heavy accumulations across New York, Massachusetts, and neighboring states.
New York City enacted a rare citywide travel ban from Sunday evening until Monday noon, while states including New York and Massachusetts declared states of emergency, per NBC News and The Guardian. Schools and transportation shut down region-wide, paralyzing daily life as described by Reuters.
The storm drew comparisons to past historic blizzards, with ABC News noting New York City’s event ranking among the top 10 biggest on record, as covered by the New York Post.
Real-time updates on X highlighted recovery efforts, with @NYDailyNews reporting over 19 inches in New York City and @nypost sharing personal stories amid the top-10 storm ranking. Additional coverage from CBS New York detailed Tri-State area totals and the lifting of the NYC travel ban.
The Wikipedia entry provides maps, timelines, and further context on the event’s scale.
