The governors of New York and Massachusetts have deployed their National Guard as a massive winter storm hits the East Coast.

The Nor’easter, which is expected to bring blizzard conditions and coastal flooding across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast into Monday, has already left more than 70 thousand people without power.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy have even deployed their state’s National Guard to be ready to respond to storm damage as they urged residents to stay off the streets. 

‘Every car that gets stranded, runs down, slips, crashes – you are creating a burden for our first responders who may need to be deployed elsewhere,’ Healy said on Sunday.

Forecasters have warned that the storm, which is walloping the region from Maryland to Massachusetts, could have historic impacts bringing up two feet of snow to some areas.

Winter weather conditions are ‘rapidly deteriorating late this afternoon’ and ‘snow accumulations are ramping up from south to north,’ according to the National Weather Service.

Follow along for the latest updates. 

Power outages start across East Coast

Several states in the East Coast have already reported widespread power outages with more than 70,000 without electricity.

Virginia was seeing the most outages, with 21,338 reported as of 9.45pm EST, followed by New Jersey, which had 19,790 people without power.

Maryland also reported 12,578 outages and Delaware reported 16,877.

Snow falling at rate of up to two inches per hour

Snow has started to fall at a rate of up to two inches per hour in New Jersey and on Long Island, according to the National Weather Service.

‘We are definitely getting the blizzard of 2026 right here now, guys,’ AccuWeather Storm Chaser Aaron Jayjack said.

‘Big time blizzard happening tonight and tomorrow.’

Federal employees given extra time to show up for work on Monday

Federal employees in Washington DC will have an extra two hours to start their workdays on Monday.

‘Employees should plan to arrive for work no more than 2 hours later than they would normally be expected to arrive,’ the US Office of Personnel Management said in a notice today.

The grace period does not apply to ’emergency employees,’ it said.

Options for remote work or unscheduled leave are also being made available.

More than five inches reported in NYC

Trained spotters have recorded five to eight inches of snow in the New York City metro area, according to the National Weather Service.

The highest snowfall amounts were recorded on Long Island and in eastern New Jersey.

Snow starts to fall in the Big Apple

Photos show New York City residents responding as snow started to fall Sunday night.

Workers clear snow from a street as it falls during a winter storm in New York City, U.S., February 22, 2026. REUTERS/Jeenah MoonNEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 22: Workers shovel snow in Times Square on February 22, 2026 in New York City. A major winter storm is expected to hit the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, bringing blizzard conditions with the potential for up to 23 inches of snow in New York City. A blizzard warning has been issued for large areas of the East Coast.  (Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 22: People admire the snow in Times Square on February 22, 2026 in New York City. A major winter storm is expected to hit the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, bringing blizzard conditions with the potential for up to 23 inches of snow in New York City. A blizzard warning has been issued for large areas of the East Coast.  (Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 22: A man operates a snowplow on February 22, 2026 in New York City. A major winter storm is expected to hit the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, bringing blizzard conditions with the potential for up to 23 inches of snow in New York City. A blizzard warning has been issued for large areas of the East Coast.  (Photo by Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)Maryland governor declares state of emergency

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency, activating the Emergency Operations Center, Maryland Joint Information Center and State Highway Administration Emergency Operations Center.

‘The safety of Marylanders comes first and this storm has the potential to produce life-threatening conditions across large parts of the state,’ Moore said.

‘Stay off the roads, check on your neighbors and listen to local authorities. Please be vigilant and take this storm seriously to protect yourself and your loved ones.’

State police will have 70 additional troopers on duty tomorrow and utilities across the state are staging repair crews in anticipation of storm-related damage.

Meteorologist laments ‘winter in full force’

Weather Channel Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf declared that ‘This is winter in full force’ as he stood in the middle of the storm in Montauk, New York on Sunday night.

He said that for the past 45 minutes, the snow has been ‘coming in in a tremendous way.’

Philadelphia declares ‘disaster’ emergency

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has declared a ‘disaster emergency,’ which she said ‘will allow Philadelphia to more effectively fight this large and dangerous storm as it rolls in.’

Her office also said it has freed up resources to respond to the snow, including an estimated 1,000 personnel and over 800 pieces of equipment, like snowplows and salt.

Earlier in the day, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro ordered 150 members of the National Guard to be ready to respond to Philadelphia and northeastern Pennsylvania.

He also declared an emergency to free up funding for storm response efforts.

Subway service partially suspended

Subway service on the C line, which serves parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, has been suspended, the MTA announced.

Senate postpones DHS funding vote due to inclement weather

The Senate has postponed a critical Department of Homeland Security funding vote due to the storm.

The vote to restore funding to the department will now take place on Tuesday afternoon, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming, announced.

The Department of Homeland Security has been without funding since February 14 as the White House and Senate Democrats negotiate changes to the department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the deaths of two civilians in Minneapolis.

ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel are currently working and getting paid under $75 billion in federal funding approved last year.

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard workers are not being paid, though most are continuing to work as their jobs are considered critical.

Massachusetts governor declares state of emergency and tells residents to stay off the roads

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy has declared a state of emergency, and urged residents to stay off the roads.

‘Every car that gets stranded, runs down, slips, crashes – you are creating a burden for our first responders who may need to be deployed elsewhere,’ she said.

Travel ban goes into effect in New Jersey

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has issued a ‘full travel ban’ on all roads except the New Jersey Turnpike starting at 9pm Sunday and lasting through 7am on Monday.

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National Guard activated in New York and Massachusetts and 70k-plus without power as blizzard slams Northeast