A fierce blizzard has grounded air travel to a standstill in several major metropolitan areas, including New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston.
According to CNBC, flight disruptions will last at least through Tuesday.
The winter storm, which has already dropped over a foot of snow in some areas, has led to thousands of flight cancellations.
Over 3,000 flights canceled at NYC airports as historic blizzard threatens to bury region in 2-feet of snow https://t.co/qbP0YtTvyV pic.twitter.com/bQ1ES3Qc0x
— New York Post (@nypost) February 22, 2026
CNBC explained further:
Much of the East Coast from Maryland to Maine was under a blizzard warning, with heavy snow totaling nearly two feet in parts of New Jersey and on Long Island, New York, as of Monday morning, and high winds expected to last throughout the day, the National Weather Service said. The NWS warned that travel will be treacherous, with blowing snow causing low visibility.
More than 3,800 flights on Monday, or 15% of the total scheduled U.S. departures, were canceled, according to aviation-data firm Cirium. Daily cancellations usually run around 1%.
Over 1,000 departures and arrivals in and out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport, about 90% of the day’s schedule, were canceled. More than 90% of the flights at Boston Logan International Airport and more than 80% of the flights at Philadelphia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were also scrubbed.
Flight disruptions were set to continue on Tuesday, with around 40% of the flights at LaGuardia and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport canceled, with roughly the same amount canceled in Boston, according to FlightAware.
Airlines routinely cancel flights ahead of major storms to avoid having aircraft and crews out of place and to make it easier to restart operations after the storm passes.
New York and New Jersey issued states of emergency ahead of the storm, which intensified Sunday night into Monday morning.
ALERT: New York City Under Blizzard Warning As Vicious Nor’easter Targets Northeast
Some residents are being advised not to leave their homes unless necessary due to treacherous road conditions.
"Good morning, New York City. Snowfall: 8”-15” last night. Forecast: More snow until early afternoon. Winds: Gusts of 40-60mph. Travel: Roads are CLOSED until at least noon today. Essential & emergency trips only. Coastal Flood Warnings: Lifted at 5am," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
Good morning, New York City.
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 23, 2026
Snowfall: 8”-15” last night.
Forecast: More snow until early afternoon.
Winds: Gusts of 40-60mph.
Travel: Roads are CLOSED until at least noon today. Essential & emergency trips only.
Coastal Flood Warnings: Lifted at 5am.
Text NotifyNYC to…
CBS News has more:
Travel restrictions were also issued for Long Island and Westchester, New York, as well as New Jersey and Rhode Island.
The National Weather Service said travel conditions were "nearly impossible."
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the storm was expected to make history as one of the top 10 worst winter storms in the last 150 years. Some parts of New Jersey and Long Island were seeing just shy of two feet of snow early Monday as the storm continued to strike.
Heavy snow and gusty winds were creating blizzard conditions between New York City and Boston, causing chaos on Interstate 95. On highways in Connecticut, some drivers resorted to pushing their cars stuck in the snow, while others left to tend to their vehicles caught up in wrecks that caused hours-long traffic delays.
In Boston, the mayor urged people to stay off the roads. Parts of New England could get up to two feet of snow.
"Boston is no stranger to nor'easters, but this is gonna be a big one," said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. "And so we need everyone to just be inside, stay warm, stay safe, and let the plows do their work."
More than half a million power outages were reported across the East Coast as of early Monday, according to poweroutage.us. Many of them were in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
