Feb. 23, 2026 — Northeast U.S. A powerful nor’easter dubbed Winter Storm Hernando struck New York City, New Jersey and southern New England on February 22-23, dumping up to 32.8 inches of snow in some areas, triggering blizzard warnings, over 600,000 power outages and more than 10,000 flight cancellations amid winds gusting to 79 mph.
The storm, described as a “classic bomb cyclone,” created whiteout conditions with visibility under a quarter-mile in places like New York City and Boston, leading to travel bans in NYC, New Jersey and other areas, widespread school closures and states of emergency across multiple states including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, according to live updates from The New York Times and NBC News.
Snow totals included 32.8 inches at Green Airport in Rhode Island, 29.5 inches in Babylon, New York, 27.1 inches in Newark, New Jersey, and 19.7 inches in Central Park, NYC by early afternoon. Power outages affected over 288,000 customers in Massachusetts alone, with restoration potentially taking 3-5 days due to downed lines and trees, per Weather.com live blog and AP News.
More than 5,300 flights were canceled on February 23 alone, primarily at New York-area airports like JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, with over 90% of departures grounded at some hubs. NYC imposed a travel ban, urging residents to stay indoors, while emergency shovelers cleared crosswalks and hydrants.
“The worst of the storm had passed New York City,” NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, adding schools would reopen in person Tuesday despite closures elsewhere. “These are dangerous conditions. Not only is snow continuing to fall, accumulated snowfall and refreezing have made it hazardous to travel.”
Meteorologist Rob Shackelford noted, “We have officially seen a snowfall storm total top 30 inches with this powerful winter storm… Some records could be in jeopardy.”
Winds fueled blizzard conditions along the coast, with gusts up to 79 mph in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Additional impacts included overturned plows, stuck buses in Boston and delayed trash collection in NYC. No deaths were reported in NYC, though two occurred in Maryland from a fallen tree.
The storm stretched along the East Coast, affecting over 50 million under alerts, with lingering snow expected into Tuesday night in parts of Massachusetts, per NPR and BBC.
