NYC Blizzard 2026: Snow Totals, Travel Ban, School Closings & MTA Updates
New York City has just emerged from one of the most powerful winter storms in its recorded history. The Blizzard of 2026 buried the five boroughs and the broader Tri-State area under up to two feet of snow, paralyzed mass transit, grounded thousands of flights, and forced a citywide travel ban that has since been lifted. Here is everything you need to know.
NYC Blizzard Snow Totals by Borough and Region
As of early afternoon Monday, 19.7 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park, 22.2 inches at LaGuardia Airport, and 19.8 inches at JFK International Airport — the most the city has seen since 2016.
The storm is now the ninth biggest in New York City history, dating to 1869.
NYC Snow Totals (National Weather Service):
| Location | Snow Total |
|---|---|
| Grasmere, Staten Island | 24.1 inches |
| Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn | 22.5 inches |
| LaGuardia Airport, Queens | 22.2 inches |
| Washington Heights, Manhattan | 22.1 inches |
| Crown Heights, Brooklyn | 21.0 inches |
| JFK Airport, Queens | 19.8 inches |
| Central Park, Manhattan | 19.7 inches |
| Mott Haven, Bronx | 17.9 inches |
Long Island and New Jersey Snow Totals:
| Location | Snow Total |
|---|---|
| Central Islip, Long Island | 31.0 inches |
| East Islip / North Patchogue | 30.0 inches |
| Babylon, Long Island | 29.5 inches |
| Islip, Long Island | 29.1 inches (record) |
| Newark, NJ | 25.8 inches |
| Bergen County (Carlstadt), NJ | 27.9 inches |
Peak wind gusts reached 84 mph at Montauk Point and 74 mph in Stony Brook — readings comparable to a Category 1 hurricane.
NYC Travel Ban: Lifted as of Monday
NYC Mayor Mamdani confirmed the travel ban has been lifted, though conditions on roads remain icy and dangerous, urging New Yorkers to take public transportation if needed and stay indoors when possible. A hazardous travel advisory remains in place through midnight Monday, and the city remains under a local state of emergency.
NYC Schools: Closed Monday, Open Tuesday
Public school students will return to classrooms Tuesday after a traditional snow day on Monday. Mayor Mamdani confirmed the city received a waiver from the state education commissioner for the Monday closure. Alternate side parking is suspended through Sunday, March 1.
MTA Service Updates for Tuesday, February 24 ET
The LIRR plans to operate limited service beginning 4:00 a.m. Tuesday on the Ronkonkoma, Huntington, Babylon, Oyster Bay, Montauk, and Port Washington branches. Metro-North will operate an enhanced Saturday schedule on the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines, providing two-thirds of regular weekday service. Some NYC Subway express service will continue running on local tracks during the morning rush, with modified service in the Rockaways. Riders are urged to check the MTA app before traveling.
Flights, Power Outages, and What's Next
At the storm's peak, 89% of flights out of JFK were canceled, and cancellations out of LaGuardia and Boston both topped 90%. More than 5,300 flights were canceled system-wide. Over 585,000 customers lost power across the region, with the largest outages in Massachusetts and New Jersey.
The Blizzard of 2026 is now officially one of the region's top 10 all-time snowstorms. Two additional minor snow events are expected later this week — a clipper system Wednesday bringing a coating to an inch, and another light system to follow — but neither will approach the intensity of this historic storm.
