Record snowfall in the US/ More than 5 thousand flights canceled

2026-02-24 07:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A major storm slammed the U.S. East Coast on Monday, bringing record snowfall that disrupted flights and caused millions of cancellations. Parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts saw nearly 37 inches of snowfall, with more than 6 inches in New York City's Central Park, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

A state agency warned that travel conditions in New York were nearly impossible. More than 600,000 homes and businesses on the East Coast experienced power outages, with New Jersey and Massachusetts the hardest hit.

Winter storm warnings extended from North Carolina to northern Maine, with some warnings in effect further north in parts of eastern Canada.

According to the NWS, the snow was expected to continue throughout Monday, with some areas near the northeastern coastline expected to have a total of 30-61 cm of snow by Tuesday morning.

Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US, appears to have received the most snow during the storm. In fact, according to local media, this has become the worst snowstorm to ever hit the state.

Providence, the state capital, received 91 cm of snow, surpassing the existing record for the heaviest snowstorm: 72.6 cm set in February 1978.

"It completely destroyed it. We were just as shocked as everyone else," Candice Hrencecin, a meteorologist with the NWS in Boston, told the New York Times.

A ban on non-essential travel was implemented in Rhode Island and also in Connecticut. Later in the day, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey also imposed a travel ban.

"I am issuing a travel ban for all non-essential vehicle travel in southeastern Massachusetts and we are lowering the speed limit on Pike to 40 mph [25 km/h]," she said in an online post, referring to a major highway in the state.

"The white conditions are making travel extremely dangerous. If you get stuck, help will have a hard time reaching you... I strongly urge everyone to stay off the roads, no matter where you live," she added.

In Massachusetts, nearly 300,000 people were left without power, according to the power outage monitor PowerOutage, including 85% of customers in Barnstable County, which includes all of Cape Cod.

In New York City, a travel ban brought the city of more than eight million people to a near-total standstill before being lifted at noon local time (17:00 GMT). All roads, highways and bridges were closed. In Connecticut and New Jersey, there were concerns that falling trees and branches could lead to dangerous road conditions and more power outages.

Meanwhile, people looking to travel within the U.S. faced difficulties on Monday. The number of canceled flights within, to or from the U.S. reached more than 5,706, according to the tracker FlightAware.

The website shows that 98% of flights out of LaGuardia Airport were canceled and 91% of flights out of JFK, New York City's main airport hub that typically handles more than 335,000 passengers daily. There had been about 48 cm of snow at both locations.

Boston's Logan International Airport canceled 92% of its outbound flights on Monday, while Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey canceled 92% and Philadelphia International Airport reduced flights by 80%./CNA, translated by BBC