Feb. 24, 2026 — Northeastern United States A record-breaking blizzard struck from Maryland to Maine starting February 22, delivering up to 3 feet of snow in some areas, hurricane-force winds, over 10,000 flight cancellations and power outages affecting more than 500,000 customers, while triggering travel bans across multiple states including New York’s first in over a decade for certain routes.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February2026NorthAmericanblizzardhttps://www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/blizzard-snow-nyc-storm-forecast-02-22-26
Meteorologists classified the storm as a bomb cyclone with explosive cyclogenesis, producing snowfall rates of 1-3 inches per hour and wind gusts up to 98 mph at Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Blizzard warnings covered about 41 million people, leading to school closures such as New York City’s first full in-person snow day in six years.https://abcnews.go.com/US/historic-blizzard-hit-northeast-compares-past-storms/story?id=130412726
Record snowfall shattered marks in several locations, including 37.9 inches at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, 32.8 inches in Providence, Rhode Island, 29.5 inches in Babylon, New York, and 27.9 inches in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Central Park in New York City measured 19 inches, while parts of Long Island and Connecticut saw over 2 feet.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February2026NorthAmericanblizzard
Satellite image of a developing nor’easter set to drop up to 2 feet of snow and blizzard conditions on the Northeast on February 22-23, 2026. (Wikipedia)
Travel disruptions were severe, with over 10,000 flights canceled nationwide, including nearly 1,000 at New York-area airports and 958 at Boston’s Logan International. States issued bans: New Jersey statewide from 9 p.m. EST February 22, parts of New York for commercial vehicles, and Rhode Island’s state of emergency persisting into February 23.https://www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/blizzard-snow-nyc-storm-forecast-02-22-26
“Officials will ‘reassess the conditions in the morning’ and give updates on the status of the travel ban on Tuesday.”
— Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee https://www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/blizzard-snow-nyc-storm-forecast-02-22-26
Power outages peaked above 600,000 before declining to over 500,000 by February 23 morning, with 100,000 in Boston alone. Public transit halted in places like New York City, where subways faced delays and Staten Island rail suspended.https://apnews.com/article/us-east-coast-winter-storm-blizzard-c32d60af1f146359664d6688a2dcdada
As of February 23 evening, travel bans eased in some areas amid cleanup efforts, though hazardous conditions lingered. New York City planned to reopen schools, with Chancellor Kamar Samuels stating,
“We are confident in our decision to reopen… Our schools and city are ready to welcome students and staff back tomorrow.” https://apnews.com/article/us-east-coast-winter-storm-blizzard-c32d60af1f146359664d6688a2dcdada
The storm compared to past events like 2016’s Winter Storm Jonas, topping 2 feet in similar regions, but set new benchmarks in Rhode Island and elsewhere.
