Nor’easter sets records in unlikely places

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Powerful Nor’easter. Bomb cyclone. Blizzard.

No matter which name you choose, the storm that blew up in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend of Feb. 22, spawned a conveyor belt of snow that left widespread totals of 20 to 30 inches across the Northeast by the evening of Feb. 23.

Its location and combination of intensity and winds were “perfectly situated for the best production of snow,” said Zach Taylor, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center. At points in the storm, it was pumping out snow at more than 2 or 3 inches an hour.

In some cases, such as Providence, Rhode Island and Islip, New York, the storm broke records for snowfall, according to records from the weather service and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Rhode Island recorded the highest snowfall, with a few locations reporting more than 36 inches, based on preliminary, unofficial totals provided by NOAA.

Based on that data, here are the highest snowfall totals by state in the northeastern region of the country, including Virginia and West Virginia, as of 10 a.m., Feb. 24. Click the chart below for a complete listing of the unofficial totals in inches.

Connecticut

Delaware

Workers clear the sidewalks of snow on N. Market St. in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, on Feb. 23, 2026.

Workers clear the sidewalks of snow on N. Market St. in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, on Feb. 23, 2026.

Maryland

Maine

Snow blankets Salisbury, Maryland on Feb. 23, 2026.

Snow blankets Salisbury, Maryland on Feb. 23, 2026.

Massachusetts

Wind-driven snow clings to the Brant Rock Union Chapel in Marshfield, Mass/ on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026.

Wind-driven snow clings to the Brant Rock Union Chapel in Marshfield, Mass/ on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026.

New Hampshire

  • 9.5 – Dover and New Ipswich

New Jersey

New York

  • 30 – North Patchogue and East Islip

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

  • 37.9 – T.F. Green International Airport, Warwick

  • 36 – North Kingstown and Providence

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Vermont

  • 6.8 – Readsboro and Bennington

  • 5.5 – Landgrove and Wilmington

Virginia

  • 14 – Whitetop and Jewell Ridge

West Virginia

  • 22.5 – Near Holly River State Park

  • 18 – Another location near Holly River State Park

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about violent weather, climate change and other news. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Snow blasted: Nor’easter sets records in unlikely places

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