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Snowboarder shredding off makeshift ramp in Central Park in New York Alamy Stock Photo
east coast storm
Weather warning for 40m people and snowboarding in Central Park as record snowstorm hits US
Nearly 20 inches of snow was recorded in New York’s Central Park yesterday, the most from a single storm in over a decade.
LAST UPDATE | 24 Feb
OVER 40 MILLION people were under weather warnings in the northeastern United States yesterday, as the so-called “Nor’easter” pummelled the region.
The winter storm disrupted flights and left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power.
Parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts have seen nearly 37 inches of snow, with nearly 20 inches recorded in New York’s Central Park, the National Weather Service said.
This was the largest amount of snowfall at New York City’s official reporting station from a single storm in over a decade.
Weather warnings stretched from North Carolina to northern Maine, with some in place further north in parts of eastern Canada.
The “nor’easter” has now moved away from the US and across coastal parts of eastern Canada – though strong winds are expected to persist.
More than 11,000 flights have been cancelled from Sunday through to today, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.
The website showed that 98% of flights out of LaGuardia Airport in New York were cancelled yesterday and 91% of flights from JFK Airport.
Boston Logan Airport also saw many of its flights cancelled.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport registered almost 33 inches of snow by lunchtime yesterday – a record-shattering toll for the state.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered nonessential drivers off the road until midday yesterday and shut down schools. Authorities in neighbouring New Jersey and Rhode Island issued similar travel restrictions.
Take in the sublime beauty of Central Park after a blizzard. 🤩
— Central Park (@CentralParkNYC) February 23, 2026
So far, we’ve measured over 19 inches of snow here in the Park! A huge shout-out to the Central Park Conservancy team for rising the occasion last night, today, and this entire snowy winter.
Stay warm and safe! pic.twitter.com/DKvSkbFbDY
Some were frustrated by the region’s second major winter storm in weeks.
“I’m sick of it. I don’t want to see no more snow,” Vincent Greer, a resident of Wildwood, New Jersey, said as he shovelled outside his building.
Meanwhile, at New York’s Grand Central station, others were admiring the city blanketed in white.
“It’s beautiful,” Chris Crowell, 45, told AFP after a walk with a friend. “So much snow, it’s just gorgeous. We did not expect to be out this long.”
‘Historic proportions’
The storm comes just weeks after the region recovered from another devastating winter weather system that was linked to more than 100 deaths.
Officials did not hold back in their public warnings ahead of the latest snowfall, urging residents to stay home and avoid congesting roads.
“I know that this is a city full of people who do not like to sit still,” Mayor Mamdani said at a briefing, warning New Yorkers of continuing danger from the storm.
Citing the “historic nature of this blizzard,” he announced the city would up its hourly rate from $19.14 to $30 for emergency snow shovellers in a bid to clear up public areas quicker.
The United Nations, which is headquartered in New York, was closed yesterday.
Snowplows deployed across the northeast as officials sought to reduce prolonged disruption.
Major cities including New York and Philadelphia advertised dedicated warming centres for people caught outside in the cold.
Further north, a travel ban in Rhode Island was prolonged into today, while Massachusetts’s governor announced new restrictions for nonessential driving in parts of the state.
A closure of Boston public schools was also extended until today due to the heavy snow.
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