Feb. 23, 2026 — Providence, R.I. Winter Storm Hernando, a rapidly intensifying bomb cyclone nor’easter named by The Weather Channel, buried the Northeast in record snowfall of up to 37.9 inches here, hurricane-force winds reaching 83 mph, thundersnow, more than 600,000 power outages, over 11,000 flight cancellations and widespread travel bans and states of emergency in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Delaware.
The storm achieved bombogenesis with a 39 millibar pressure drop to 966 mb, matching historic blizzards in intensity. Impacts included 10,000-plus flights canceled—98% at major airports—millions homebound, school closures across the region, Broadway shutdowns in New York City and National Guard activations in New York and Massachusetts.
“Holy smokes,” The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore said of the storm’s ferocity.
Warwick, R.I., recorded 36.2 inches near the state record, while more than 19 stations saw 2 feet or more and Islip, N.Y., set a 29.1-inch mark. Massachusetts bore the brunt of outages, with blizzard warnings persisting into Feb. 24 amid cleanup efforts.
New York City hired emergency snow shovelers at $30-45 per hour, requiring IDs, while health experts warned of heart attack risks from shoveling the heavy, wet snow dubbed “heart attack snow.” Plow crashes and power flashes from thundersnow were reported in live updates.
As of Feb. 24 morning, snow had ended in most areas but high winds continued, hindering recovery. Blizzard warnings extended from Maryland to Maine.
