Feb. 24, 2026 — U.S. Northeast — A powerful bomb cyclone nor’easter, dubbed Winter Storm Hernando, struck from Maryland to Maine on Feb. 23-24, dumping 2-3 feet of snow in many areas, hurricane-force wind gusts exceeding 70 mph, and affecting more than 40 million people under blizzard warnings.
The storm shattered records, including Providence, Rhode Island’s snowiest two-day total at 32.8-37.9 inches at T.F. Green Airport, surpassing the 1978 Blizzard of ’78, and Newark, New Jersey’s second-heaviest snowfall at 18.3-27.1 inches since 1931, according to CNN and Weather.com reports. New York City saw 15.1-19.7 inches in Central Park, while areas like Whitman, Massachusetts (33.7 inches) and Central Islip, New York (31 inches) reported over 2 feet.
Power outages peaked at over 650,000 customers, with Massachusetts hardest hit at nearly 300,000, followed by New Jersey (93,000-138,000), Delaware (61,000) and Rhode Island (42,000), per NBC News and Weather.com. Around 500,000 remained without power as of late Feb. 23, delaying restoration due to heavy, wet snow and downed lines.
More than 9,900-11,000 flights were canceled nationwide through Feb. 24, with over 3,500 at New York-area airports including JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, where cancellations reached 63-90%, NBC News reported.
Travel bans were enacted, including New York City’s first full school closure in years with no remote learning, Massachusetts’ non-essential travel ban on the South Coast, and New Jersey restrictions until noon Feb. 23. Officials warned of life-threatening road conditions and near-zero visibility.
“The heaviest snow from Winter Storm Hernando has finished, but winds across the Northeast will continue to blast overnight, which can cause white-out conditions from drifting snow,” Weather.com digital meteorologist Sara Tonks said.
“These are dangerous conditions. Not only is snow continuing to fall, accumulated snowfall and refreezing have made it hazardous to travel,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated.
At least two deaths were linked to the storm: passengers killed in Maryland when a snow-weighted tree fell on their vehicle on Feb. 22, per Weather.com.
Cleanup efforts continued into Feb. 24 amid stabilizing outages and expiring warnings, though drifting snow and coastal winds posed ongoing risks, CNN noted.
