East Coast Blizzard Grounds 5,000+ Flights as Snow Overwhelms Rhode Island
East Coast Blizzard Grounds 5,000+ Flights as Snow Overwhelms Rhode Island
A massive Northeast snowstorm shuts down thousands of flights, triggers travel bans, and blankets Rhode Island and the East Coast with record snowfall.
A massive Northeast snowstorm slammed the US east coast, grounding thousands of flights and plunging parts of the region into near-whiteout conditions. By Monday, the storm had dumped record snowfall across Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with Providence reporting 36 inches, the most ever in its history.
New York City saw more than 19 inches in Central Park; state agencies warned of near-impossible travel conditions and the National Weather Service cautioned the storm would persist through the day. Travel bans were imposed on non-essential driving in Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut, while Massachusetts lowered speed limits on major highways.
Widespread power outages affected more than 600,000 homes and businesses on the East Coast, with New Jersey and Massachusetts among the hardest hit. Officials warned that total snow accumulations could reach 1-2 feet in some areas by Tuesday morning, and urged residents to stay off roads unless necessary.
The scale of disruption stretches beyond travel—airports faced cancellations and delays, with airlines stopping operations and expecting to restart flights in waves over the day and into Tuesday as crews clear runways and de-ice planes.
Weather teams underscored the storm's record-breaking nature for the region, with Providence's snowfall dwarfing the prior state record. Residents adapted by digging out, sharing updates on social media, and checking on neighbors as cities tried to maintain essential services.
