Blizzard Warnings Cascade Across East Coast

Thousands of flights canceled ahead of 'potentially historic' storm
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 23, 2026 12:00 AM CST
Blizzard Warnings Cascade Across East Coast
A man rides a bicycle in the beginning of an intense snowstorm by 20th Street and First Avenue, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in New York.   (AP Photo/Pamela Hassell)

New York City and New Jersey announced travel bans, airlines canceled thousands of flights, and even Broadway shows were canceled Sunday evening as a fierce winter storm bore down on the Northeastern US, prompting blizzard warnings from Maryland to Massachusetts, the AP reports. Snow began falling in New Jersey and New York as the storm moved northward. The National Weather Service said 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in many areas, along with heavy winds. Visibility in many areas was expected to be a quarter-mile or less. Officials throughout the region urged residents to avoid travel.

The weather service issued blizzard warnings for New York City and Long Island, Boston and coastal communities in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. State of emergency declarations were issued in New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and parts of New York as officials mobilized readiness efforts. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a ban on non-emergency travel on all streets from 9pm ET Sunday through noon Monday, with travel restrictions planned in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and elsewhere in the region. Regional airports canceled flights ahead of the storm, and even DoorDash announced it was suspending deliveries in the city overnight.

To the south, landmarks such as the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC, announced closures Monday. The weather service said some of the heaviest snow was expected to fall overnight, with as much as 2 inches of snow per hour accumulating at times in some areas, before tapering off by Monday afternoon. It said the storm's strong wind gusts could cause whiteout conditions and warned of a "Potentially Historic/Destructive Storm" southeast of the Boston-Providence corridor. The storm could possibly meet the definition of a bomb cyclone, said Frank Pereira, a weather service meteorologist. That's when a storm drops at least 24 millibars in pressure in 24 hours.

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