Feb. 24, 2026 — Northeastern United States A historic nor’easter, dubbed the “Blizzard of 2026” or “Winter Storm Hernando,” struck from February 22 to 24, blanketing areas from Maryland to Maine with 2 to 3 feet of snow, including a record 37.9 inches at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport and 36.2 inches in Warwick, Rhode Island. Blizzard warnings affected over 40 million people amid hurricane-force winds nearing 100 mph along coasts, whiteout conditions, thundersnow and coastal flooding.
The storm caused widespread disruptions, including New York City’s first travel ban in years, over 8,000 flight cancellations, public transit shutdowns, and closures of schools and businesses across the region, as detailed in live coverage.
Power outages impacted more than 600,000 customers, with over 553,000 homes and businesses affected by February 23 morning, led by Massachusetts (~280,000), New Jersey (95,000), Delaware (58,000) and Rhode Island (43,000). A map shared on X highlighted the extent of the blackouts during the blizzard.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill described the event as “potentially the worst storm in 30 years,” urging residents to stay off roads, according to Wikipedia’s summary. Two fatalities occurred in Maryland from a tree falling on a car.
Meteorologists compared the blizzard to 2016’s Winter Storm Jonas, noting ideal conditions for record snowfall totals like 31.8 inches in Norton, Massachusetts, and 29.5 inches in Babylon, New York. Multiple daily and all-time records were broken.
Additional impacts included over 30 canceled Amtrak trains, minor to moderate coastal damage along the Jersey Shore, and beach erosion in Maine from 2-3 foot storm surges. Ongoing live updates from outlets like The New York Times and USA Today track recovery efforts as the storm wanes.
