Feb. 24, 2026 — New York A powerful bomb cyclone and nor’easter, named Winter Storm Hernando, delivered historic blizzard conditions across the Northeast United States over the weekend, piling up to more than 3 feet of snow in some areas, imposing rare travel bans including New York City’s first in over a decade, canceling over 10,000 flights, and causing more than 500,000 power outages at peak.
The storm placed 40 million people under blizzard warnings from Philadelphia to Boston, with heavy wet snow falling at rates of 2-3 inches per hour in parts of New York and Massachusetts, according to AP News and NBC News live updates. Impacts included snarled highways with stranded vehicles in Massachusetts, empty streets in New York City as reported by ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee, and school closures regionwide.
Record snowfall totals emerged as the storm wound down, including 37.9 inches in Providence, Rhode Island; 33.7 inches in Whitman, Massachusetts; 30.8 inches in North Stonington, Connecticut; and 31 inches near New York City, per the CNN Weather live blog and New York Times live coverage. Central Park in New York City measured 15.1 inches while still snowing, as noted by meteorologist Chris Martz on X. Winds gusted to 83 mph on Nantucket, contributing to whiteout conditions in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, according to FOX Weather.
Satellite image of the bomb cyclone shared by @US_Stormwatch on X (source).
Travel bans began easing Monday in New Jersey and New York, with New York City public schools set to reopen Tuesday, the CNN live blog reported. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey provided updates on 30+ inch totals in the state, dubbing it the “Blizzard of 2026” in CBS News Boston coverage. Power outages exceeded 250,000 in New Jersey alone, per FOX Weather.
The storm featured thundersnow in New York City and underwent rapid intensification known as bombogenesis south of Long Island, as explained in the Washington Post. Weather.com noted deadly impacts alongside the record Northeast snowfall and travel chaos. NPR reported most travel halted across the region.
Fox News post showing New York City buried under 15+ inches of snow (47K likes) (view on X).
