February 24, 2026 — Northeast United States A powerful nor’easter, dubbed the February 2026 North American blizzard or Winter Storm Hernando, struck the region February 22-23, delivering 2-3 feet of snow in areas including New York City, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Jersey, along with hurricane-force wind gusts up to 98 mph, widespread power outages impacting over 600,000 customers, thousands of flight cancellations and blizzard warnings for more than 40 million people.
The storm, undergoing explosive cyclogenesis, produced blizzard conditions with heavy snowbands and intense winds, particularly in southeastern New England. Rhode Island recorded the highest snowfall at 32.8 inches in Providence, breaking the previous record from the 1978 blizzard, while Carlstadt, New Jersey saw 27.9 inches and Babylon, New York 29.5 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
Power outages peaked at over 600,000 customers, with nearly 300,000 in Massachusetts alone, followed by New Jersey and New York. Restoration efforts continued amid difficult conditions on Cape Cod, where some towns remained nearly fully dark.
“Totals in many places… have already exceeded 2 feet,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said, announcing travel bans for nonessential vehicles in affected counties due to dangerous road conditions.
Air travel ground to a halt with over 5,300 flights canceled nationwide, including more than 2,500 in the New York area. Travel bans were issued across states including New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut, with NYC’s lifted at noon on February 24 but hazardous advisories remaining.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated,
“The worst has passed, but these are dangerous conditions… remain indoors.”
Schools closed across the region, with NYC planning to reopen February 25. States of emergency were declared in New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and others, as noted by governors including New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill and Rhode Island’s Dan McKee.
The storm caused two fatalities in Maryland from a tree falling on a car and numerous crashes on snow-slick roads. It marked the first blizzard warning for New York City since 2017 and all of New Jersey since 1996.
Eyewitness accounts captured the chaos:
https://x.com/i/status/2025939697269190936
The blizzard exited into Canada by February 23 morning, leaving cleanup efforts underway amid subzero wind chills.
