Feb. 24, 2026 — Providence, R.I. A historic nor’easter known as the Blizzard of 2026 or Winter Storm Hernando slammed the U.S. Northeast starting February 22, dumping 2-3 feet or more of snow across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, shattering records including 37.9 inches in Providence and over 40 inches in areas like Fall River, Massachusetts.
Hurricane-force winds of 50-80+ mph, thundersnow and whiteout conditions triggered blizzard warnings for more than 40 million people, resulting in travel bans in New York City, New Jersey and Rhode Island, over 10,000 flight cancellations at airports including JFK, LGA and T.F. Green, and power outages affecting 400,000 to 700,000 customers. School closures were widespread, a United Nations meeting was postponed and at least two deaths were reported.
The storm, ranking among the region’s most intense in decades and compared to the 1978 Blizzard, broke Providence’s all-time snowfall record with 33 inches noted in some updates, while 19 inches fell in New York City’s Central Park and 27 inches in parts of New Jersey.
Historic Blizzard of 2026: Snow and wind continue, up to 3 FEET possible by this evening.
— @NBC10
Live updates from NBC News and CBS News Boston detailed ongoing impacts, including 5,700 flights canceled and up to 600,000 power outages. The New York Times reported New York City declaring a snow day as the region digs out.
Eyewitness accounts on X highlighted the severity, with meteorologist @MaxTsaparis noting potential for 3 feet on Long Island and coastal areas, and AP science writer @borenbears describing “Goldilocks” conditions for Rhode Island’s record snow.
