February 24, 2026 — Northeast U.S. The February 2026 North American blizzard, also known as Winter Storm Hernando, struck the Northeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic starting February 22-23, dumping up to 3 feet of snow including 37.9 inches in Providence, Rhode Island, accompanied by hurricane-force winds, thundersnow, widespread power outages affecting hundreds of thousands, thousands of flight cancellations, and travel bans in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Delaware.
Blizzard warnings impacted over 40 million people from the Delmarva Peninsula to Maine, with states of emergency declared in at least seven states. The storm led to over 2 feet of snow in numerous areas, downed power lines, abandoned vehicles, and at least two reported deaths, according to coverage from major outlets.
In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey issued a travel ban for southeastern counties amid heavy snow and stranded vehicles, as noted by the Boston Herald and WBZ | CBS Boston.
New York City and New England saw record snowfall burying roads and infrastructure, with live updates from the New York Times detailing the chaos. USA Today reported millions facing flight delays and nor’easter conditions.
The Associated Press attributed the storm’s intensity to ideal “Goldilocks” meteorological conditions fueling the bomb cyclone nor’easter.
CNN highlighted how more than 2 feet of snow immobilized the region for over 40 million under warnings.
