February 24, 2026 — New York A bomb cyclone dubbed the “Blizzard of 2026” struck the Northeast United States starting late on February 22, 2026, dumping 2 to 3 feet of snow across parts of New England, New Jersey, and New York, shattering snowfall records and prompting rare full travel bans in major cities.
The storm produced record totals including 36.2 inches in Warwick, RI, surpassing 1978 benchmarks, 27.1 inches in Newark, NJ, 22.2 inches at LaGuardia Airport, and 19.8 inches at JFK Airport. Hurricane-force gusts topping 80 mph fueled whiteouts, thundersnow, and widespread power outages affecting over 600,000 customers.
New York City enacted a full travel ban from Sunday evening to Monday noon—the first school snow day since 2019—affecting millions, with similar restrictions in New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. More than 10,000 flights were canceled amid the chaos.
Satellite imagery showing the storm’s massive footprint, as covered by Yahoo News.
BBC News detailed the NYC ban and expected 18-24 inches of snow, while CNN’s live updates tracked the bomb cyclone’s departure after slamming the region. CBS News Boston highlighted Massachusetts records exceeding 3 feet in some areas.
Dozens of 2+ ft totals from NJ to New England; NYC ~20″, Providence 2 ft. pic.twitter.com/someimage
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) February 24, 2026
The Capital Weather Gang on X reported dozens of locations with over 2 feet of snow from New Jersey to New England. Cleanup efforts began as the event peaked on February 23, with Yahoo News covering the dig-out.
