How Much Snow Did Boston Get — Residents, schools and services scramble after a record Northeast blizzard

How Much Snow Did Boston Get matters because the storm’s fallout hit daily life first: schools, power systems and travel. The blizzard that struck the Northeast on Monday left millions under warnings, forced large-scale closures and travel bans, and piled record totals in parts of the region—creating immediate safety and mobility problems for families, commuters and utility crews.

How Much Snow Did Boston Get — who is feeling the impact right now

Boston-area residents are experiencing disruptions on multiple fronts. All Boston Public Schools will remain closed on Tuesday, February 24, because a citywide snow emergency continues. Utility disruptions are widespread: regional monitors counted at least 500, 000 customers without power in the Northeast by early Monday evening, while a later tally for the broader U. S. east coast exceeded 600, 000 properties without power. In Massachusetts specifically, nearly 300, 000 customers were without electricity, including about 85% of customers in Barnstable County (which covers Cape Cod).

Here’s the part that matters: transit, walking routes and school access have been immediately impaired. The city suspended alternate-side parking through the weekend and the municipal sanitation department declared an official end to the storm at 4: 30 p. m. on Monday; that change triggered an obligation for property owners to clear sidewalks by 8: 30 p. m., including a four-foot path for wheelchairs and strollers and around curb ramps, fire hydrants and unsheltered bus stops.

Event details and the scale of the snowfall

The blizzard moved across the Northeast on Monday, bringing heavy snow and hurricane-force winds and placing more than 40 million people under weather warnings at one point. Some locations saw three feet of snow in parts of New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York’s Long Island. Near Boston and southern New England the measurements vary by station: the T. F. Green International Airport outside Providence recorded 32. 8 inches by Monday afternoon, a total noted as surpassing the previous single‑storm record; other counts in the region reached as much as 36 inches in Providence in some summaries. New York City measurements included more than 19 inches in Central Park and 16–19 inches across most of the city, with parts of Eastern Staten Island exceeding 24 inches.

Thousands of flights were canceled—more than 5, 000 nationwide—while travel bans and states of emergency were declared in multiple states. New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Connecticut issued statewide emergency declarations and travel restrictions; 20 counties in New York were placed under emergency declarations. Non‑essential travel bans were put in place in Rhode Island and Connecticut, and Massachusetts’ governor later issued a travel ban as well, citing white‑out conditions that make travel extremely dangerous (a white‑out occurs when snow severely reduces visibility).

Regional breakdown: records, local orders and community strain

• Rhode Island: Parts of the state received the heaviest totals; Providence reports were cited near 32. 8–36 inches, exceeding the old single‑storm record of 28. 6 inches set in February 1978 (that 1978 storm produced 28. 6 inches between Feb. 6–7 and was linked to 100 fatalities).
• Massachusetts: Nearly 300, 000 customers lost power; Barnstable County reported roughly 85% of customers without electricity.
• New York region: More than 19 inches in Central Park; 16–19 inches across much of the city, with over 24 inches in parts of Eastern Staten Island; the governor warned the storm could rank among the city’s top 10 worst storms in 150 years.
• Flights and travel: Over 5, 000 flight cancellations and widespread travel bans left millions unable to move freely across the region.

Local responses, school decisions and public services

Municipal and state officials took varied approaches. All Boston Public Schools are closed on Tuesday, February 24, for the ongoing snow emergency. In contrast, New York City Public Schools reopened for in‑person learning the day after the storm; the mayor allowed students to be excused for up to two hours on Tuesday morning for weather‑ or transportation‑related delays. That reopening decision drew heavy criticism: more than 169, 000 people signed a petition urging a switch to remote learning, and teachers’ groups pushed back on staff safety. Crews worked overnight on school grounds and city streets, and the city’s online plow tracker remains available for residents to check the last time their street was plowed.

Travel policy notes: Rhode Island and Connecticut implemented bans on non‑essential travel; Massachusetts added a statewide travel ban later. State offices in Rhode Island were closed on Tuesday while plow crews continued overnight clearing and officials planned to reassess conditions the next morning.

Key takeaways

• Significant local variation: measured totals range from roughly 16–19 inches in many urban neighborhoods up to roughly 3 feet in some coastal and suburban locations.
• Immediate impacts: school closures, a large number of flight cancellations (5, 000+), and major power outages across the region.
• Public orders: multiple state emergency declarations and travel bans remain in place for safety and to allow plow crews to operate overnight.
• Record comparisons: several southern New England sites exceeded prior single‑storm records from 1978, and measurements may still be revised upward as crews complete assessments.

Micro timeline: Monday — storm strikes the Northeast and warnings cover more than 40 million people; mid‑Monday afternoon — T. F. Green recorded 32. 8 inches; Monday evening — city sanitation declared an end to the storm at 4: 30 p. m.; Tuesday, Feb. 24 — Boston Public Schools remain closed, Rhode Island planned to reassess conditions that morning.

What’s easy to miss is how many different systems are being stressed at once: transit, school logistics and electric distribution are all operating under emergency rules, which means recovery will be uneven block by block rather than uniform across a city.

The real question now is which measurement updates and utility restorations will confirm that the worst of the storm’s damage has passed—crews and officials will be watching snowfall re‑measuring, outage counts and road clearance over the next 24–48 hours.