Historic blizzard dumps 2+ feet across Northeast; 600,000+ power outages as recovery efforts begin amid ongoing travel chaos
February 24th, 2026: Storm peaks with 2+ feet snow across Northeast; outages hit 600,000New here? Follow stories to track developments over time. Create a free account to get updates when stories you care about change.
A historic nor'easter that developed into a bomb cyclone on February 22-23, 2026, buried the Interstate 95 corridor from Philadelphia to Boston under one to two feet of heavy, wet snow, with final totals exceeding 2 feet in parts of New Jersey (30.7 inches in Lyndhurst) and 19 inches in New York City on February 24. Wind gusts reached 70 mph, snowfall rates hit 2-3 inches per hour, and coastal flooding impacted 80 to 100 million people across the Mid-Atlantic to New England.
States of emergency expanded to include New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut as power outages surpassed 600,000 customers and over 8,000 flights were cancelled with 22,000 delayed. New York City maintained its travel ban and school closures—the first traditional snow day since 2019—while blizzard warnings stretched 600 miles along the coast. This storm, following multiple prior bomb cyclones this punishing winter, has strained snow removal, utilities, and infrastructure as cleanup begins.
A snowy photoshoot under NYC's Staple Street sky bridge.
A New York City subway train covered in snow during a winter blizzard at an outdoor station.
UES during the blizzard on December 16, 2020.
Powerful Nor'easter Bomb Cyclone To Slam Cities Along I-95 ...
FOX Weather
Blizzard Warning Issued For New York City For First Time In ...
FOX Weather
Historic Blizzard Targets the Northeast With Millions Along the ...
FOX Weather
Images from Openverse under Creative Commons licenses. Videos from YouTube.
Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.
Fictional AI pastiche — not real quote.
"Nature, it seems, hath delivered unto the I-95 corridor what no Act of Congress could contrive — a unanimous agreement to stay home."
Exploring all sides of a story is often best achieved with Play.
Your progress in this debate will be lost.
Choose one persona for each side of the debate
Choose personas with different perspectives for a more dynamic debate.
Select debater for this side:
No debate personas available right now.
Select debater for this side:
No debate personas available right now.
Make your prediction before the referee scores
Pick the question both personas must answer in the final round
Debate Oracle! You called every round!
Sharp Instincts! You know your debaters!
The Coin Flip Strategist! Perfectly balanced!
The Contrarian! Bold predictions!
Inverse Genius! Try betting the opposite next time!
Can you match the quotes to the right people?
— Who said this?
Tip: press 1– to answer.
The federal agency responsible for weather forecasts, warnings, and observations across the United States.
The agency responsible for regulating civil aviation and managing air traffic in the United States.
The federal agency responsible for coordinating disaster response and recovery across the United States.
January 2026 February 2026
Cumulative snowfall exceeded 2 feet along NYC-Boston corridor with 30.7 inches in Lyndhurst NJ and 19 inches in NYC. Power outages reached 600k+ customers; NJ, RI, PA, CT added emergency declarations with travel bans. 8,000+ flights cancelled, 22,000 delayed amid 600-mile blizzard warning zone and coastal flooding.
Snowfall totals reached 14 inches on Staten Island and 9.3 inches in Central Park as blizzard warnings continued through evening. New York City enacted full travel ban, closed schools (first snow day since 2019), and reported widespread power outages; over 400,000 customers affected region-wide.
The storm rapidly intensifies through bombogenesis off the Eastern Seaboard, delivering 1 to 2 feet of snow along the I-95 corridor with wind gusts up to 70 mph. Over 7,000 flights are cancelled. The FAA imposes ground stops at JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark. Coastal flood warnings extend from Delaware Bay to Cape Cod with 2-to-4-foot storm surge.
The NWS upgrades to blizzard warnings for New York City, Long Island, southern Connecticut, and coastal New England. Governors Hochul and Sherrill declare states of emergency in New York and New Jersey. New Jersey activates 3,400 road crew workers.
Models shift dramatically, showing the storm tracking closer to the coast with much heavier snow totals. The NWS issues winter storm watches across the Northeast.
The National Weather Service begins tracking a potential coastal storm system, initially characterized as a routine February weather event.
A separate bomb cyclone strikes the eastern United States less than a week after the January storm, further straining snow-removal budgets and utility crews in the Northeast.
A massive winter storm spanning 2,300 miles strikes from the Four Corners region to Maine, killing more than 50 people and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. More than 20 governors declare states of emergency.
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
A massive blizzard struck the Eastern United States from January 22 to 24, 2016, dumping a record 27.5 inches of snow on New York City's Central Park—the highest total ever recorded there. Approximately 103 million people were affected, 33 million fell under blizzard warnings, and the storm killed at least 48 people across multiple states.
Nearly 12,000 flights were cancelled, over 300,000 customers lost power, and travel bans were imposed across multiple states. Recovery took nearly a week in some areas.
Jonas set the benchmark for modern nor'easter preparedness in the Northeast, prompting cities to refine their storm response protocols and pre-positioning strategies for subsequent major storms.
The February 2026 nor'easter is forecast to produce snowfall totals in the same range as Jonas along the I-95 corridor, with similar population exposure and blizzard warning coverage. Jonas provides the closest recent comparison for what the Northeast may face.
From January 6 to 8, 1996, a powerful blizzard struck the Eastern United States, affecting over 100 million people across 26 states. Snowfall totals reached one to four feet in major metropolitan areas, including significant accumulations in New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
The storm caused 154 deaths and an estimated $3 billion in damage. A rapid thaw following the blizzard produced severe flooding across the mid-Atlantic, compounding the destruction.
The 1996 storm demonstrated how a winter event's secondary effects—particularly rapid snowmelt flooding—can rival the initial damage, informing how emergency managers plan for storm aftermath.
The 2026 nor'easter arrives after a winter with repeated heavy snow events that have already saturated the region. If a warm-up follows, the 1996 pattern of post-blizzard flooding could repeat, making the total snowpack a factor beyond this single storm.
From March 12 to 15, 1993, a massive cyclone struck the entire Eastern Seaboard from Florida to Maine, producing hurricane-force winds, tornadoes in the South, and heavy snow across 26 states. The storm killed 318 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage, affecting more than 100 million people.
Air travel was shut down across the eastern third of the country for the first time in modern history. Some areas in the Appalachian Mountains received over four feet of snow.
The 1993 storm led to significant improvements in winter storm forecasting and the NWS warning system, establishing the template for how the agency communicates multi-hazard winter events.
Like the 1993 storm, the 2026 nor'easter involves a rapidly intensifying cyclone producing simultaneous threats—heavy snow, high winds, and coastal flooding—across a vast geographic area. The forecasting improvements born from 1993 are exactly what allowed the NWS to issue warnings days in advance for this storm.