Feb. 24, 2026 — New York A powerful nor’easter, dubbed the February 2026 North American blizzard, slammed the Northeastern United States from Maryland to Maine on Feb. 22-23, dumping 2-3 feet of snow in many areas, generating hurricane-force wind gusts up to 98 mph, knocking out power to over 600,000 customers and prompting travel bans in New York City, New Jersey and elsewhere that stranded millions indoors.
The storm shattered snowfall records, including 37.9 inches at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport and 36.2 inches near Warwick, R.I., while Central Park in New York City measured nearly 20 inches, according to the National Weather Service and other reports. Gusts reached 83 mph on Nantucket and 98 mph in Wellfleet, Mass., creating whiteout conditions and toppling trees, as detailed in AP News coverage.
More than 8,000 flights were canceled, Amtrak trains halted and public transit suspended across the region, with New York City public schools closed for Feb. 23—the first traditional snow day in six years—and many districts shifting to remote learning. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill urged residents: > “Stay off the roads.”
Power outages peaked at over 600,000, affecting nearly 300,000 in Massachusetts alone, with restoration delayed by ongoing high winds and heavy, wet snow. Two fatalities occurred in Maryland from a falling tree.
National Weather Service meteorologist Owen Shieh explained the storm’s intensity: > “The storm hit the ‘Goldilocks situation’ of just the right temperature for wet, heavy snow: Any warmer and its precipitation wouldn’t have fallen as snow, any colder and there wouldn’t have been as much moisture in the air to feed that snowfall.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey described conditions as “as bad as I’ve seen it,” imposing travel restrictions on Cape Cod and urging people to stay home to aid plowing and power restoration, per New York Times live updates.
The blizzard underwent explosive cyclogenesis, or “bombing out,” deepening rapidly off the North Carolina coast before tracking northeast. It broke daily records in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Del., Newark, N.J., and Providence, R.I., marking the worst Northeast blizzard since 1996. Minor coastal flooding and over 343 crashes were reported in Maryland.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani advised residents to stay cozy, while outreach efforts targeted homeless individuals amid closures of Broadway shows and museums.
