Historic Blizzard Paralyzes U.S. Northeast

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Written by Aaron Studwell, Ph.D., Energy Meteorologist & Analyst for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

A historic blizzard struck the East Coast this week, bringing record snowfall, hurricane-force wind gusts, widespread outages and major travel disruptions. Southern New England and New Jersey were hardest hit, with restoration efforts slowed by drifting snow and extensive infrastructure damage.

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East Coast is Slammed

A powerful blizzard slammed the East Coast on Monday and Tuesday, bringing near--whiteout conditions, heavy snow and damaging wind from the Mid-Atlantic into New England. The Weather Channel named the system Winter Storm Hernando. The hardest-hit corridor stretched from New Jersey, across southern New England and into eastern Massachusetts.

How the "Blizzard of 2026" Unfolded

The storm organized off the Mid-Atlantic coast, strengthening as it moved north along the Eastern Seaboard. Heavy snow spread inland while strong winds slammed exposed coastal areas. By late Monday into early Tuesday, the center of the storm lifted toward the Canadian Maritimes, but blowing and drifting snow put the brakes on power recovery efforts, even as snowfall began to taper.

The GOES-19 GeoColor composite shows a tight swirl offshore and a broad cloud shield over the Northeast, with city lights muted beneath thick clouds.

East Coast Impacts: Blizzard Conditions

New Jersey and coastal New England took the brunt of the snowfall. T. F. Green International Airport near Providence, Rhode Island, reported 37.9 inches of snow. This total shattered the previous record (28.6 inches), which was set in the Blizzard of 1978. Multiple communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts reached the two-foot mark or more.

The storm's reach was especially evident in New Jersey, where all 21 counties were placed under a single blizzard warning for the first time on record. Snowfall exceeded two feet across much of the state, with some northern communities topping 30 inches. Newark Liberty Airport recorded 27.2 inches, its second-largest storm total on record, just shy of the 1996 blizzard.

Snowfall totals for the Blizzard of 2026--Source: Weather Prediction Center
Wind added a second layer of danger, especially along the coast and on outer islands. Gusts reached the 70-80+ miles-per-hour (mph) range at some exposed sites, leading to tree damage, downed lines and sudden drops in visibility during the heaviest snow.

The National Weather Service advisories map shows Blizzard Warnings (red) focused from the Delmarva Peninsula shore through the New York City area, across most of New England, extending north into coastal Maine. Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories surrounding that core.

Outages and Delays

Power outages were widespread where heavy, wind-driven snow and falling branches hit distribution lines. A state-by-state snapshot from Monday showed more than half a million customers without power across the region, with Massachusetts alone near 285,000 outages at that time.

Restoring service has been slow but deliberate. Crews first must remove hazards, then find and repair multiple breaks along the same transmission line. Only then will the crews re-energize the line safely.

The storm disrupted daily life across the Northeast. Over 11,000 flights have been cancelled since Sunday. Multiple states urged residents to stay off highways until crews could clear snow and respond to crashes. Public transit also faced delays and cancellations.

Even when the snow slowed, the wind kept pushing it back onto roads and sidewalks. That meant plow crews often had to clear the same routes more than once. In some coastal areas, the combination of high wind and pounding surf also created minor coastal flooding and rough conditions for marine operations.

Notable Snowfall Totals

• Warwick, RI (T.F. Green AP) - 37.9 in
• Bliss Corner, MA - 37.0 in
• Newport, RI - 34.0 in
• Norton, MA - 31.8 in
• Islip, NY - 31.0 in

Notable Wind Gusts

• Montauk Point, NY - 84 mph
• Nantucket, MA - 83 mph
• Wellfleet, MA - 77 mph
• Barnstable, MA - 77 mph
• Stony Brook, NY - 74 mph

Key Takeaways

• Winter Storm Hernando produced near-whiteout conditions from New Jersey to Maine.
• Providence set a new snowfall record with 37.9 inches, surpassing 1978.
• New Jersey issued its first-ever statewide blizzard warning as totals exceeded two feet.
• Wind gusts over 70--80 mph caused outages, tree damage, and dangerous visibility drops.
• More than 500,000 customers lost power and over 11,000 flights were canceled.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).