A nor'easter struck the northeastern United States over February 22-23, 2026, bringing heavy snowfall and strong winds to a densely populated region. Snow fell at rates of 2-3 inches per hour across the affected area. Measured accumulations by Monday morning included: 22.5 inches at Long Island MacArthur Airport, 18 inches in Newark, 17 inches in New London CT and North Kingstown RI, and 15 inches in New York City's Central Park. Wind gusts exceeded 30 mph in most areas, with forecasts of 40-70 mph in some locations.
The storm met the meteorological criteria for a bomb cyclone (pressure drop of at least 24 millibars in 24 hours). New York City, New Jersey, and Rhode Island implemented travel bans for non-emergency vehicles. New York City's ban ran from 9 PM Sunday to noon Monday — the city's first blizzard warning in nine years. Public schools in New York City and Boston were closed Monday, while Philadelphia switched to remote learning. More than 5,000 flights were canceled at airports in New York, New Jersey, Boston, and Philadelphia. Over 500,000 customers experienced power outages, with Massachusetts (212,000) and New Jersey (128,000) most affected. States from Delaware to Massachusetts declared emergencies. Snow was expected to taper off by Monday afternoon.