Ferocious winter storm slams U.S. Northeast, 600,000 plunged into darkness
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Snowfall totals have reached historic levels in pockets of the region: parts of southern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts reported up to or exceeding 32 inches (over 80 cm), while New York City's Central Park measured 16–19 inches, with some nearby areas higher.
A ferocious winter storm, unofficially dubbed Winter Storm Blizzard of 2026, has hammered the U.S. East Coast from the Mid-Atlantic to New England dumping extreme snowfall, unleashing hurricane-force wind gusts, and plunging more than 600,000 homes and businesses into darkness.
As of late Monday afternoon, live trackers from PowerOutage.us reported over 600,000 utility customers without electricity across the Northeast, with the heaviest impacts in Massachusetts (nearly 300,000 outages, including 85% of customers in Barnstable County on Cape Cod) and New Jersey (around 125,000–135,000).
Additional widespread outages affected Delaware, Rhode Island, Maryland, and parts of New York, driven by heavy, wet snow accumulating on power lines, fallen trees, and damaging winds exceeding 50–80 mph in some areas.
Snowfall totals have reached historic levels in pockets of the region: parts of southern Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts reported up to or exceeding 32 inches (over 80 cm), while New York City’s Central Park measured 16–19 inches, with some nearby areas higher.
The National Weather Service confirmed blizzard conditions-sustained winds over 35 mph with visibility under a quarter-mile, across much of the Interstate 95 corridor, burying communities under feet of snow and creating whiteout conditions.
The storm has caused widespread chaos: more than 5,600–10,000 flights canceled since Sunday, travel bans enforced in New York City and sections of Massachusetts, and states of emergency declared from Delaware to Maine.
Governors, including New York’s Kathy Hochul and Massachusetts’ Maura Healey, warned of “near impossible” travel and urged residents to stay indoors.
At least two storm-related deaths have been confirmed, with risks from hypothermia, vehicle accidents, and structural issues amplified by the prolonged power outages and extreme cold.
Officials predict restoration of power could take days in hardest-hit areas, as crews contend with ongoing snowfall, downed lines, and blocked roads.
The bomb cyclone intensification offshore has sustained the assault, with blizzard warnings covering over 40 million people across a 600–700-mile stretch.
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