Jan 23, 2026 – The National Weather Service warns that an extreme winter storm will affect over 200 million Americans, projecting more than a foot of snow from Colorado to West Virginia and 10‑14 inches in New York City with wind chills down to –15 °F; governors across 16 states declare emergencies, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul readies 1,600 plows and 114,000 tonnes of salt while Texas Governor Greg Abbott says there is “no expectation whatsoever” of a grid failure; Mayor Zohran Mamdani deploys thousands of sanitation workers, 700 salt spreaders and 2,200 plows and urges residents to stay home; FlightAware records over 3,200 flight cancellations on Saturday and more than 4,800 on Sunday; a strong Arctic air mass will keep the East frigid into the following week [2].

Feb 21, 2026 – Governors Hochul (NY) and Sherrill (NJ) declare states of emergency ahead of a storm forecast to dump 12‑18 inches of snow across the Northeast, threatening 14 million people; the NWS issues blizzard warnings for New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Massachusetts with snowfall rates above 1 inch per hour and total accumulations of 15‑20 inches; officials advise a three‑day supply stockpile and warn of widespread power outages from 40‑70 mph winds; Hochul activates 100 National Guard members for Long Island, NYC and the Lower Hudson Valley; Mayor Mamdani posts on X urging citizens to text “NotifyNYC” for real‑time alerts [6].

Feb 22, 2026 – The nor’easter undergoes bomb cyclogenesis off the Mid‑Atlantic, dropping pressure 24 mb in 24 hours and becoming a bomb cyclone that brings blizzard conditions to New York City and Boston; New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill issues a noon‑Sunday emergency, Hochul declares emergencies for 22 of the state’s counties, and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker declares a city snow emergency; Mayor Mamdani orders additional snow‑clearing crews, opens more than 40 warming centers and expands outreach to homeless residents; blizzard warnings cover NYC‑proper for the first time since 2017 [3].

Feb 22, 2026 – Mayor Mamdani imposes a citywide travel ban from 9 p.m. Sunday to noon Monday, closes schools—the first public‑school snow day since 2019—and shuts all streets, highways and bridges to non‑essential traffic; the ban exempts emergency vehicles, MTA buses, utility fleets and essential deliveries, while Citi Bike service ends at 8 p.m. and scooter sharing stops at 6 a.m.; the city stages 2,600 sanitation workers on 12‑hour shifts, 700 salt spreaders and thousands of plows, and deploys FDNY Rapid Response Vehicles and 22 warming buses; Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman mirrors the prohibition on non‑essential vehicles [5].

Feb 22, 2026 – Snow and rain begin across the East Coast from Maryland to Massachusetts, marking the storm’s first impact; Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Cody Snell calls the event “a major winter storm and a major impact for this part of the country,” noting its rarity; Mayor Mamdani reiterates the travel ban, cancels schools and warns of up to two feet of wet, heavy snow; New Jersey cuts highway speed limits to 35 mph and FlightAware reports more than 3,500 U.S. flight cancellations by Sunday afternoon; snow‑removal firm Berrington Snow Management readies 40 front‑end loaders for a week‑long cleanup on Long Island [7].

Feb 23, 2026 – The historic nor’easter delivers 1‑2 feet of snow across the tri‑state area, with pockets of three feet that could match or break records set in 2008; Mayor Mamdani bans non‑essential travel, orders 2,600 sanitation crews, 700 salt spreaders and opens 22 warming buses, while Governor Hochul declares a state of emergency and activates the National Guard; flight cancellations exceed 5,500 across the United States and power outages affect tens of thousands, with 570,000 households losing electricity in the region; the NWS predicts snowfall rates of 2‑3 inches per hour, making travel “nearly impossible”; crews brace for additional 1‑5 inches of snow from a weaker system later in the week [1][8].

Feb 23, 2026 – Social‑media footage shows New York City buried under snow as the Weather Prediction Center warns of 2‑3 inches per hour, up to two feet total, and issues blizzard warnings for NY, NJ, CT, RI and MA; Mayor Mamdani announces that only essential trips may use roads, NYPD blocks streets and schools stay closed, stating “the worst of the storm has passed”; Governor Hochul’s emergency declaration mobilizes the National Guard; power outages affect over 17,000 customers across NYC boroughs [4][9].

Feb 23, 2026 – Eight governors (CT, DE, MD, MA, NJ, NY, PA, RI) declare emergencies as the rare snowstorm drops up to 90 cm (≈35 in) of snow and 90 km/h winds, with Providence Airport logging a record 83 cm; Mayor Mamdani reports 40‑50 cm already fell in NYC with an additional 4‑7 cm expected by 8 p.m., and confirms no storm‑related fatalities; schools, municipal services and the United Nations headquarters close, while non‑essential traffic resumes at noon but remains hazardous; FlightAware records more than 6,000 flight cancellations, with another 2,000 projected for Tuesday; a January cold wave earlier in the season had caused 18 deaths in New York and roughly 100 nationwide [9].

Feb 24, 2026 (forecast) – Forecasters expect a weaker system to add 1‑5 inches of snow across the Midwest, Mid‑Atlantic and Northeast through mid‑week, while high winds continue to create icy‑road hazards; snow‑removal crews work amid ongoing snowfall to restore power and clear streets, and residents are urged to monitor local updates for further advisories [8].