Winter Storm Hernando—Nor’easter Blizzard a Billion Dollar Disaster

Sattelite image of the nor’easter that brought up to 37 inches of snow to some areas along with hurricane force winds and coastal flooding. NOAA satellite image.

February 25, 2026: The nor’easter named Winter Storm Hernando* by The Weather Channel began life as a shortwave trough that moved across the West Coast on February 20. After consolidating as a surface low off the southeastern U.S. around February 22, it underwent explosive cyclogenesis or “bomb genesis” (thus the name bomb cyclone). The central pressure dropped 40 millibars in less than 24 hours to 965 mbar by February 23.

Rapid intensification brought blizzard conditions with snowfall rates up to 3 inches per hour, thundersnow, and hurricane-force winds of nearly 100 MPH in Massachusetts and 84 MPH on Long Island. Hernando tracked northeast through the Mid-Atlantic and New England before heading into Atlantic Canada on February 24. It was one of the strongest nor’easters in a decade and comparable to historic events like the blizzard of 1996.

What is a Nor’easter? A nor’easter is a large extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Its name comes from the winds that blow inland from the northeast. The storms form within 100 miles of the shore between North Carolina and Massachusetts. Warm, moisture-laden air from the tropical Atlantic flowing north along the Gulf Stream meets cold, dry air rushing down from the north. The meeting of cold air with warm air forces air out the top of the column, reducing the mass of the air near the ground and thus producing a low-pressure area. Rapid intensification of the low-pressure region results in a powerful storm sometimes called a bomb cyclone.

*Names issued by the Weather Channel are unofficial. Only the National Weather Service can officially name storms.

🌨️🚨 INTENSE Blizzard Conditions on Cape Cod! 🌬️❄️

70+ mph wind gusts are slamming the beaches of Orleans, Eastham, and Chatham, MA 🌊💨 Trees and power lines are down, roads are snow-covered, and full-blizzard conditions are setting in. The Nor’easter from Winter Storm Hernando… pic.twitter.com/Ls2EoNvUNz

— Chicago & Midwest Storm Chasers (@ChicagoMWeather) February 23, 2026

2026 Blizzard Record-Breaking Snowfall Totals

Much of the affected region received two-three feet of snow over two days, with lesser amounts predicted for today (February 25).

The heavy snowfall rates led to blizzard conditions in New York City, Boston, and other areas. The National Weather Service issued the first blizzard warnings for New York City since 2017, and for Boston since 2022.

New York City hired hundreds of city residents to help with snow removal efforts. Mass transit shut down on Monday and was slowly coming back online Tuesday. Despite a travel ban, food delivery continued with the 80,000 workers delivering meals to residents. Broadway shutdown for two days in a row. The city’s emergency management issued a weather alert for this morning, warning that light snow and low temperatures overnight created the potential for slick roads and black ice.

Standby Generators Automatically Restore Power During an Outage

Apparently, cross-country skiers were exempt from the NYC travel ban, with many sightings in the city.

Interesting Fact: Extratropical cyclones are an everyday occurrence that we only hear about when they cause a disaster. Between 1979 and 2018, there were between 49,745 and 72,931 extratropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere, and 71,289 to 74,229 in the Southern Hemisphere.

Power Outages

Heavy wet snow weighed down trees and power lines, with outages peaking at 650,000 customers, or about 1.6 million* people. The outages continue (as of February 25) with almost 200,000 customers still without power on the 25th, including 160,000 in Massachusetts and about 14,000 in New Jersey. Freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and fallen trees hamper restoration efforts.

By Wednesday morning, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine had restored most of the customers who were out. Massachusetts is deploying drones, helicopters, and crews from out of state to assist in restoration efforts, but it may be days before everyone has power back on.

Power outages persist from Georgia through the Carolinas and Virginia.

Portable Generators for Home Backup

🌊🚨 Aftermath in Scituate, MA 🚨🌊
Massive rocks, debris, and chunks of ice cover the roadways as coastal flooding slams Scituate following 20-foot waves from the intense Nor’easter/blizzard, Winter Storm Hernando (02-23-26). Powerful winds and relentless surf battered the… pic.twitter.com/mwD5YfZlaM

— Chicago & Midwest Storm Chasers (@ChicagoMWeather) February 24, 2026

Fatalities

At least seven people fell victim to Winter Storm Hernando in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Directly related to the storm’s impacts:

• Two people died in Maryland when a tree fell on a car they were in.
• A multi-vehicle accident in Pennsylvania took two more lives.
• A man struck by a tractor-trailer while clearing snow on the Mass Pike died of his injuries.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning took a Rhode Island student’s life in his snow-buried car.
• Another person died in New Jersey of unspecified causes.

The National Weather Service warned of black ice in the aftermath of the storm and forecast an additional two inches of snow overnight into February 25th.

Recovery

Temperatures stayed below freezing on February 24, which has delayed melting. With over three feet of snow in places, it will take more than a day or two of above-freezing temperatures to melt the snow. Power outages peaked at around 650,000 customers, and less than 200,000 remain, with most outages on Cape Cod.

Snow removal efforts are ongoing. The priority is to clear streets for emergency vehicles, then regular traffic, and then to remove the remaining snow. Many city residents cleared the parking spaces and marked them with buckets and other markers. Some organizations link the blizzard and nor’easter to extreme weather brought on by climate change. However, nor’easters on the East Coast date back to the earliest records.

Extreme Storms Over the Last 140 Years

This a partial list of storms on record over the last 140 years. There were many not Listed here.

• The Great Blizzard of 1888, with 40-50 inches of snow, killed over 400 people, mostly in New York.
• Great Appalachian 1950: over 30 inches of snow with hurricane-force winds and record temperatures killed 353 people.
• Ash Wednesday 1962, with severe tidal flooding and blizzard conditions from the Mid-Atlantic to New England, killed 40 people.
• The Groundhog Day Gale 1976 brought blizzard conditions to New England and Eastern Canada with up to 56 inches of snow.
• The Northeastern Blizzard of 1978 brought 27 inches of snow and killed 100 people, mostly trapped in their cars on Boston’s inner beltway.

Spring is Coming

While January and February often get the bad rap for extreme winter weather, March and even April can bring heavy snow, ice, and wind. May follows with preparation for Hurricane Season. Are you ready?