U.S.
Updated on: February 23, 2026 / 7:29 PM EST
/ CBS News
Add CBS News on Google
More than 40 million people were under blizzard warnings Monday as a historic winter storm hit the East Coast with heavy snow and fierce winds. In many parts of the Northeast it was forecast to be the biggest winter storm in nearly a decade.
Blizzard warnings stretched from Maryland to Maine and governors in eight states and several major cities declared states of emergency. More than 2 feet of snow accumulated in some areas on Monday.
Bans on nonessential travel were announced for New Jersey, the New York City area and parts of Massachusetts, and while some have now been lifted, officials continued to urge people to stay off the roads.
Maps show snow totals, forecast, blizzard warnings
The storm is now the ninth biggest in New York City history, dating back in the record books to 1869, CBS News New York reported.
By Monday afternoon, at least 19.7 inches of snow had accumulated in Central Park, while parts of Brooklyn and Queens got 20 inches. On Long Island, Central Islip recorded 31 inches of snow and the nearby town of Babylon got more than 29 inches. Multiple towns in New Jersey counted 2 feet or more.
This was the first time in nine years that a blizzard warning was issued for New York City.
According to the weather service, a storm meets the definition of a blizzard when there is “snow and/or blowing snow reducing visibility to 1/4 mile or less for 3 hours or longer” along with “sustained winds of 35 mph or greater or frequent gusts to 35 mph or greater.”
Blizzard and winter storm warnings for the East Coast.
CBS News
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged New Yorkers to stay inside and off the roads for the duration of the storm. He canceled school for Monday and declared a state of emergency that included a citywide travel ban, which was lifted around noon Monday. Schools reopen for in-school learning on Tuesday.
“Though the travel ban has lifted, conditions on the road are still icy and dangerous,” Mamdani said, encouraging New Yorkers to stay indoors if possible and take public transportation if needed.
Broadway theaters canceled shows on Monday. Travel restrictions were also issued for Long Island, now lifted, and Westchester County, set to expire at 6 p.m..
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency ahead of the nor’easter and activated about 100 members of the National Guard.
“This will be something the likes of which we’ve not seen in years,” Hochul said. “People will be in the dark. Long Island and New York City and lower Hudson are literally in the direct eye of the storm.”
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also declared a state of emergency, saying she expected “severe blizzard conditions across our state.”
A travel ban that was put in place for New Jersey was lifted midafternoon on Monday, but travelers were urged to avoid any unnecessary travel.
A blizzard warning was also issued for parts of southern New England — its first in four years. CBS News Boston reported the storm was forecast to dump up to 2 feet of snow on the city and surrounding areas through Monday afternoon.
The forecast for snow accumulation along the East Coast.
CBS News
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency on Sunday and deployed 200 members of the National Guard.
“This is a serious storm. At the outset what I want to say to the public is this is one to take seriously,” Healey said.
She issued travel restrictions for the South Coast of Massachusetts Monday, signing an executive order banning nonessential motor vehicle travel in Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable counties, citing dangerous road conditions. Speed limits on the Mass Pike were also reduced to 40 mph.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said schools would be closed Monday and Tuesday as the city faced down “yet another winter storm this season and one that is looking like it will be of historic proportions.”
Map shows radar image of the winter storm as of Monday morning, Feb. 23, 2026.
CBS News
The National Weather Service warned that the storm, with steady winds of 25 to 35 mph, would “make travel dangerous, if not impossible. Scattered downed tree limbs and power outages are possible due to snow load and strong winds.”
More than half a million homes and businesses were in the dark in the Northeast as of midday Monday, according to PowerOutage.us, with the bulk of them in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
The hazards of the storm were worsened by winds of of 40 mph to 70 mph which could produce drifting snow, hamper visibility and potentially cause whiteout conditions. Kozak said travel along major corridors, including Interstates 95, 78, 80, 84 and the Massachusetts Turnpike, would be extremely dangerous or impossible during the height of the storm.
Wind gusts could create perilous travel conditions, including whiteouts.
CBS News
Officials in Atlantic City, New Jersey, urged residents and casino visitors to stay off streets during the storm, especially in low-lying neighborhoods prone to flooding.
“I could go on and on probably with a good two dozen streets where we know we will get water and there will be snow on top of that, said Scott Evans, the city’s fire chief and emergency management coordinator. “So you won’t be able to see it until it’s too late, so therefore please stay at home.”
The storm approached just as the icy remains of a snowstorm that struck the region weeks earlier were finally melting away.
Airlines cancel flights for the region
Thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed due to the storm, and major airlines issued waivers allowing passengers to rebook without extra charge.
Delta announced over the weekend it had canceled flights for Sunday and Monday at New York’s LaGuardia and JFK airports and Boston. Customers headed to East Coast airports have flexible options to rebook.
American said it had teams working around the clock with the goal of resuming operations at affected airports Tuesday, as soon as conditions enable carriers to do it safely. It noted the severe winter weather conditions may impact airlines’ ability to operate at other airports in the region as well.
More than 3,400 U.S. flights were canceled for Sunday, according to flight tracker FlightAware, with the largest numbers at airports in the New York City metro area, Boston, Philadelphia and the Washington, D.C., area. Republic Airlines, JetBlue, American Airlines, Delta. Southwest and United each canceled hundreds of flights.
For Monday, Flight Aware shows more than 5,600 U.S. cancellations, mostly affecting the same airports and airlines, and more than 1,700 flights were canceled for Tuesday.
JetBlue said, “The safety of our customers and crewmembers is our first priority, and we will continue to track the storm to determine if additional operational adjustments will be required.”
Andrew Kozak,
,
,
,
Kathryn Krupnik and
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
In:
Weather Forecast
Winter Storm
Blizzard Warning
© 2026 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Home – CBSNews.com
About the Author
