Historic Blizzard Dumps Record Snow In Northeastern United States
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From February 22 through February 23, 2026, the northeastern United States was hit by a historic winter storm. Meteorologists say it began as a regular nor’easter but quickly intensified into a bomb cyclone. This occurs when warm air from the Atlantic Ocean meets the freezing Arctic air. The warm air rises rapidly, causing the storm to spin faster and grow much stronger.
As the system strengthened, it officially became a blizzard. This is a storm where winds exceed 35 mph (56 kmh) and snowfall reduces visibility to less than a quarter mile (0.4 km). The 2026 blizzard was one of the Northeast’s strongest in recent memory. It dumped record amounts of snow and brought hurricane-force winds across the region. At its peak, more than 40 million people across eight states, from Maryland to Maine, were under blizzard warnings.
As many as 650,000 homes and businesses in the Northeast lost power as heavy snow and strong winds damaged power lines. Thousands of flights were cancelled, stranding travelers nationwide. Most schools and many businesses were closed.
Providence, Rhode Island, bore the storm's brunt with nearly 38 inches (96.5 cm) of snow. This is the most ever recorded for a single snowstorm in the city's history. In New York City, the storm dumped about 20 inches (50.8 cm) of snow, effectively shutting it down. Companies asked employees to work from home while officials imposed travel bans as snow piled up across all boroughs. The severe conditions in Boston, Massachusetts, forced The Boston Globe newspaper to cancel its print edition for the first time in 153 years.
Even though the blizzard has passed, its effects are still being felt across the region. Residents continue to dig out from heavy snow, while crews work to restore power, clear roads, and remove massive snow piles. Some schools have reopened, though others are still assessing building safety. Officials warn that full recovery could take several more days in areas hardest hit.
Meanwhile, forecasters are tracking another system that could bring a few inches of snow to the Northeast by midweek. For many communities, the cleanup may not be over just yet.
Resources: Wikipedia.org, CNN.com, Weatherchannel.com, NPR.org
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20 Comments
- tusymujozidoabout 14 hoursImagine having a blizzard
silver4lifeabout 14 hourslol- lunypecolafeabout 15 hoursi had like one inches of snow?
vonahujucigaabout 20 hoursdang. i feel bad for yall. we had no storm. only coldfronts. im lucky im not where yall are.
labeachgurlabout 21 hoursoh wow! I can’t imagine 20 inches of snow!!! ppl who live in the northeast was it fun? or annoying?
forijudafife1 daywe only had a couple of flurries last night- forijudafife1 dayAll we got was a couple flurries
- movegaribufu1 dayLike if you at least had a day off of school
- movegaribufu1 dayThat’s crazy
chocolaterose751 dayOh I hope the people are okay!
