Feb. 24, 2026 — A historic blizzard, known as the “Blizzard of 2026” or a “bomb cyclone,” struck the Northeast United States, dumping 2 to 3 feet of snow in New York City, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, shattering records and disrupting travel for millions.
The storm led to more than 10,000 flight cancellations, mainly at New York-area airports like JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark, with 5,600 cancellations at LaGuardia alone. New York City enforced a travel ban until noon on Feb. 24 and declared its first school snow day since 2019, while emergency declarations were issued in multiple states including Pennsylvania.
Snowfall records were broken across the region. Central Park in NYC recorded nearly 20 inches by early afternoon, ranking in the top 10 biggest on record. Newark, New Jersey, saw over 27 inches, LaGuardia 22 inches, while parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts received up to 33 inches and 3 feet in some Rhode Island areas. High-end totals included 27.5 inches in Remsenburg, New York and 26.5 inches in Cranston, Rhode Island.
Power outages affected hundreds of thousands, transit systems halted, Broadway theaters closed, and a United Nations meeting was postponed. The CNN storm tracker noted the bomb cyclone was exiting, with travel bans beginning to ease and Providence, Rhode Island, seeing its biggest snowfall on record.
Live coverage from NBC News, AP News, and New York Times highlighted millions homebound and ongoing impacts. On X, New York Post reported NYC’s snowfall as a top-10 event, while users shared videos of the bomb cyclone and NYC travel ban.
FlightAware tracked cancellations, with CBS News NY focusing on Tri-State area disruptions and ABC News providing historic comparisons.
