Northeast Blizzard Paralyzes Travel, Knocks Out Power to Hundreds of Thousands

A powerful winter storm brought blizzard conditions to the Northeastern United States on Monday, February 23, 2026, causing widespread travel disruptions and power outages. More than 40 million people were under blizzard warnings as the storm unleashed heavy snowfall and hurricane-force winds.

Storm Impacts and Travel Disruptions

The nor’easter dumped over 2 feet of snow across much of the Eastern Seaboard. In New York City, over 15 inches of snow had fallen by mid-morning in Central Park, marking the most snow in a single storm in over five years, according to USA Today. Strong winds and heavy, wet snow also caused trees to fall, damaging power lines and leading to localized flooding along the Massachusetts coast.

Travel was severely impacted, with more than 5,600 flights canceled on Monday, as reported by FlightAware. New York and New Jersey implemented driving bans, closing streets, highways, and bridges to all but emergency vehicles. Governor Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey stated the combination of strong winds and heavy snow made driving “incredibly dangerous.” Major airports, including New York’s John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark, as well as Boston, saw approximately 90% of arrivals and departures canceled. Nearly 4,000 flights had already been canceled on Sunday.

Power Outages Across the Northeast

Over half a million homes and businesses across the Northeast experienced power outages. Massachusetts was particularly hard hit, with approximately 290,000 outages reported by Monday afternoon, according to a USA Today outage tracker. The number of outages in Massachusetts continued to rise throughout the day.

State of Emergency Declarations

Officials declared emergencies in multiple states, from Delaware to Massachusetts, as residents grappled with power failures due to downed electrical lines. NBC Chicago reported that snowfall totals reached 2 feet in parts of Massachusetts, Long Island (New York), New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

Ongoing Storm and Recovery Efforts

Forecasters expect the storm to lose intensity as it moves away from the New England coast. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to stay home and announced the availability of reception centers in all districts for those in need of shelter and warmth. The current storm is part of a series of extreme winter weather events that have impacted the United States in recent weeks, with heavy snowstorms and unusually low temperatures already affecting large parts of the country at the end of January and beginning of February.

Affected States

• Delaware
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Maine
• New Jersey
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Connecticut