New York City awoke Monday morning to a world transformed. Streets once bustling with cabs and delivery vans were eerily quiet, blanketed by what forecasters called the most powerful nor’easter to hit the region in nearly a decade. The city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, had declared a state of emergency the day before, setting in motion a citywide travel ban from 9 p.m. Sunday through noon on Monday. Public schools were closed, marking the first traditional snow day for New York’s students since 2019—a rare treat that brought cheers from children but logistical headaches for parents and city officials alike.
According to BBC and Streetsblog NYC, the storm bore down on the entire northeast beginning Sunday evening, February 22, 2026, and continued its relentless assault through Monday. As the snow piled up—predicted to reach between 18 and 24 inches in New York City—officials urged residents to stay inside, stay safe, and let emergency crews do their work. “Stay inside and stay safe,” Mayor Mamdani pleaded, echoing the warnings of meteorologists and emergency management teams. For the nearly 59 million people under weather warnings across the northeast U.S. and Canada’s maritime provinces, this was a night to hunker down and keep warm.
The city’s response was swift and all-encompassing. Streets were closed to non-essential vehicular traffic, and the mayor’s emergency declaration suspended alternate side parking and directed the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to monitor and enforce against price gouging. “This will be New York City’s first old-school snow day since 2019,” Mayor Mamdani told the city’s public school kids, according to Streetsblog NYC. The Department of Sanitation deployed 2,600 workers on 12-hour shifts starting early Monday, with 700 salt spreaders and thousands of plows at the ready. Property owners were reminded to clear a four-foot path on sidewalks to ensure safe passage for wheelchairs and strollers once the snow stopped falling.
Public transportation was not spared from the storm’s wrath. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) initially pledged to maintain service, but by 7 a.m. Monday, service on the C and W subway lines and the Staten Island Railway was fully suspended. The L train was partially suspended, and many express trains were running local. The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) was completely shut down, and Metro-North trains faced significant delays. “It’s running,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber told NY1, “with a few exceptions,” adding that buses were delayed due to snow-plowing operations. Lieber reassured viewers that the system was still functioning, but urged, “If you don’t need to travel, enjoy the day at home and go sledding with the kids.”
Access-A-Ride, the city’s paratransit service, stopped taking new reservations after 9 p.m. Sunday to comply with the travel ban. Citi Bike service was halted at 8 p.m. Sunday, and scooter share operations stopped at 6 a.m. Monday. The Staten Island Ferry switched to an hourly schedule at midnight, scaling up to half-hour service by 6 a.m. Monday. Across the city, the Department of Sanitation’s snow fighters worked tirelessly, but collection of trash and recycling was delayed, with residents asked to hold Monday recycling until the following week.
For those without shelter, the city took extra precautions. Twenty-two warming buses, thirteen school warming centers, and eleven hospital facilities were opened to provide refuge from the cold. Eighty-six homeless individuals had received shelter in advance of the storm, a testament to the city’s efforts to protect its most vulnerable residents. Meanwhile, Doordash, one of the city’s largest food delivery platforms, suspended operations from 8:30 p.m. Sunday to noon Monday. Mayor Mamdani urged New Yorkers to cook for themselves and avoid ordering deliveries that would put workers at risk.
The storm’s impact wasn’t limited to New York. According to BBC and Barron's, states of emergency were declared across the northeast, from Massachusetts and Rhode Island to Delaware and New Jersey. Boston closed its schools, and Rhode Island’s governor issued a statewide travel ban and activated the National Guard. New Jersey halted its public transit network, and Connecticut banned all commercial vehicles from highways. Pennsylvania’s governor signed a disaster declaration to provide additional resources. Nearly 90,000 properties in New Jersey alone lost power as of early Monday, with tens of thousands more affected in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Wind gusts along the coast reached 65 to 70 mph, toppling tree limbs and raising the risk of further outages.
Air travel ground to a halt as well. About 5,500 U.S. flights were canceled on Sunday, with thousands more scrapped on Monday. New York’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports were among the worst affected. Broadway went dark Sunday evening, with all shows canceled. The New York Racing Association called off eight horse races at Aqueduct Racetrack. Even the city’s libraries closed their doors, though e-books and digital resources remained available to the public.
For many, the storm conjured memories of blizzards past. It was the first time in nine years that New York City was under a blizzard warning. The storm marked only the second major snow event of Mayor Mamdani’s administration, following a brutal three-week cold snap in January that claimed nineteen lives. “This will be something the likes of which we’ve not seen in years,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned, placing 100 National Guard members on ready alert. She added, “People will be in the dark. Long Island and New York City and lower Hudson are literally in the direct eye of the storm.”
Despite all the warnings and restrictions, some New Yorkers still found themselves caught between safety and necessity. “It’s gonna be difficult for most New Yorkers to get around because we still have to go to work,” Brooklyn resident Brandon Smith told AFP. “It’s unfortunate [roads] are suspended as jobs are not gonna stop calling us in.” For others, the snow day was a chance to enjoy the rare silence of the city, to dust off sleds and snow boots, and to marvel at the power of nature.
As the snow continued to fall and the city hunkered down, officials reminded everyone to check updates before venturing out and to use caution around downed wires or icy sidewalks. The Department of Buildings dispatched inspectors to monitor construction sites, while Con Edison deployed extra crews to respond to outages. The city’s coordinated response, from emergency shelters to plows and transit updates, showed the resilience and adaptability of New York in the face of a historic winter storm.
By Monday afternoon, as plows carved paths through the drifts and the city slowly began to stir, New Yorkers were reminded once again that in this city, even the fiercest storms can’t keep the spirit down for long.