February 22-23, 2026 East Coast blizzard: New York City, Long Island and Connecticut
22–23 February 2026 · New York City area, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut
Named Winter Storm Hernando by The Weather Channel, a private company [2]. The National Weather Service does not name winter storms.
A coastal storm brought blizzard conditions to New York City and Long Island on 23 February 2026, with 2 to 2.5 feet of snow in places and hurricane-force gusts at the eastern tip of Long Island.
What happened
- NWS New York preliminarily confirmed blizzard criteria on 23 February in 10 counties of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, including Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau and Suffolk. [1]
- Official totals: Central Park 19.7 inches, LaGuardia 23.4, JFK 20.1 and Islip 29.1. [1]
- The highest reports were 31.0 inches at Central Islip, New York, 30.8 inches near North Stonington, Connecticut, and 30.7 inches near Lyndhurst, New Jersey. [1]
- Wind gusted to 84 mph at Montauk Point and 62 mph at JFK Airport; many trees and wires came down. [1]
Deaths
No official death toll for this storm was found in NWS or NOAA summaries, so none is given here. News counts differ and are not repeated.
Power outages
- Storm reports collected by NWS New York include a large tree down leaving multiple blocks without power in Malverne, Long Island. [1]
States named in the sources used here: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut.
Questions
When was the February 22-23, 2026 East Coast blizzard?
22–23 February 2026, across: New York City area, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.
How many people died?
No official death toll for this storm was found in NWS or NOAA summaries, so this page does not give one. News counts differ and are not repeated here.
Why is it called Winter Storm Hernando?
Hernando is a name from The Weather Channel, which has named winter storms each season since 2012-13. The National Weather Service does not name winter storms, so its own summaries describe this storm by date and area.
Sources
- NWS New York: "February 22-23, 2026" storm summary
- The Weather Channel: East Coast blizzard recap (Winter Storm Hernando)
US government sources are public domain. Figures are quoted as the sources give them; this site has not added to or adjusted them.
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- January 2024 Arctic outbreak and winter storms · 12–18 January 2024
- December 2022 winter storm and Buffalo blizzard · 21–26 December 2022
- February 2021 winter storm and Texas freeze · 10–19 February 2021
- January 2019 polar vortex cold · 30–31 January 2019
- February 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard · 1–3 February 2011
- January 1998 ice storm · 5–9 January 1998
- March 1993 Superstorm · 11–14 March 1993
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