"Don’t do it" 2026 Blizzard obs, updates and pictures.

[RUNNAWAYICEBERG]

1 hour ago, powderfreak said:

It is intriguing to think of the societal impact if that SE Mass firehose was a bit north and going from BOS to HFD… instead of like Long Island to PVD/TAN ENEward.

I would’ve enjoyed that low tracking over PVD to BOS, lol.

Yes, we all would have. Someday again, it will happen…

[wxsniss]

One of the better timelapses I've seen overlaying H5 + surface + radar, showing cyclogenesis and capture:

https://x.com/WeatherNut27/status/2026280880675913988?s=20

https://twitter.com/WeatherNut27/status/2026280880675913988?s=20

(and if anyone knows, let me know how I can get these to embed)

[ORH_wxman]

56 minutes ago, ChangeofSeasonsWX said:

Yeah, but if it ended up going 50-100 miles northwest like you said, would PVD still have broken 1978's record? I'm imagining a situation like Feb 2013 where the firehose sets up over CT instead of SEMA/RI. Don't get me wrong, Feb 2013 was still great around here, but it wasn't historic like what CT saw. So I guess in a way this system was like a reverse of Feb 2013 where SEMA/RI got the goods instead.

Even with April 1997, Worcester got insane amounts, and Boston to a lesser degree. PVD still got 18 inches but it doesn't hold a candle to what Worcester got. So if this system had come further northwest would it have been a 1978 redux for the whole area including PVD, or more like a Feb 2013/April 1997 situation where areas north and west get the goods and PVD gets like 12-18? This one didn't stall like 1978 did so I just don't see how it could've been an all-timer for the entire area, even if it came further north. 

April ‘97 only jackpotted ORH because it was classic late season elevation enhancement. The QPF maxes were southeast but they wasted a bunch of it on rain. That wouldn’t be the case in late February. That’s why it would truly have been amazing to try and see it. Once you introduce that type of instability aloft into a nuking Nor’ Easter, it takes it up to another level….from merely HECS type stuff to generational top 5 stuff. 

[NeonPeon]

My older kid is off school tomorrow. My youngest in Pre-K is out till Friday. This is obviously not related to any additional snow down here 

Obviously it's ruining my ability to do work. But on the other hand we made a 6 ft snow fort and it's got a flag on it. My kid turned 9 today and has had three days off. For all the talk of jacks on here, that's a 9 year old jackpot.

[The 4 Seasons]

On 2/23/2026 at 3:00 PM, OceanStWx said:

 

Unfortunately ASOS is king, and that liquid is what goes in for the climate. Even if the snow observer reports more (or less). 

king dong 

 

[Warwick WX]

Parking ban here in Warwick until 6pm Friday, with snow plowing continuing all week and no trash pickup.  The community pulled together where I am, with snowblowers running up and down the street based on a lack of immediate plows.  I have a police officer across the street and firefighter next door, so it is important for them to be able to report during the storm.  We are only a few turns from Route 1 with a quick ramp to I-95, so looks like I'm in the clear to get around okay.

[vortex95]

21 minutes ago, The 4 Seasons said:

king dong 

 

It's really an insult to the climate record.  And how much is based off of such records, and it is this bad? 

And there are ways to mitigate snow loss from wind w/ equipment.  Blue Hill has done it forever.

[The 4 Seasons]

12 minutes ago, vortex95 said:

It's really an insult to the climate record.  And how much is based off of such records, and it is this bad? 

And there are ways to mitigate snow loss from wind w/ equipment.  Blue Hill has done it forever.

I've been saying this.

And yes a lot of high wind blizzards look just like this with "30-70:1 ratios"

It's bad. 

Just doing a core sample and manually changing the data would fix it. 

[40/70 Benchmark]

Verification of the great Blizzard of 2026 revealed that the forecast was not as highly skilled was I would have liked, to say the least. I bought into historic snowfall totals too far to the northwest, despite some glaring red flags that ended up biting me harder than my 1 year old daughter. Most notably, the track kept shifting south after I pulled the trigger early Sunday. That said, what you will not hear from an amateur like myself, is the garbage excuse of "changing data", "missing data" or "bad data" that you get from far too many "professional social mediaologists"....this is the equivalent of all of the injuries you hear about after the team gets it's face ripped off in the Super Bowl. That said, I was able to put that behind me to enjoy the spoils of a truly great winter's day outside with the kids.

Final Grade: D+

PS: Winter is not over, but more about that after I resume day-to-day life.

 

https://easternmassweather.blogspot.com/2026/02/forecast-verification-for-blizzard-of.html

 

[The 4 Seasons]

On 2/23/2026 at 8:25 PM, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Storm 1 of 1 here. Beats everything I’ve been alive for. Still snowing 

Time for a handle change

TauntonBlizzard2026

2013 has nothing on this, what was that like 2 feet, pffft

[Ginx snewx]

[tunafish]

2 hours ago, The 4 Seasons said:

king dong 

 

So this is saying ASOS recorded 0.58" precip, and the observer - at the same location as the ASOS, or not - recorded 35.5" new (and a depth of 21).  I'm assuming all NWS major climate-site observers capture SWE - why not use that?

How effective is ASOS at capturing preicp totals from snow, especially in wind like that?  Like what were the 35.5" obs SWE??

[H2Otown_WX]

9 hours ago, The 4 Seasons said:

Yeah fluff bombs like Jan 7th 2022 and Feb 7th 2021 with virtually no wind, short 6-10hr duration are the best for getting nice uniform snowfall totals.

Events like these are a nightmare. And even worse 3 day events like Mar 2001. 

[The 4 Seasons]

1 minute ago, tunafish said:

So this is saying ASOS recorded 0.58" precip, and the observer - at the same location as the ASOS, or not - recorded 35.5" new (and a depth of 21).  I'm assuming all NWS major climate-site observers capture SWE - why not use that?

How effective is ASOS at capturing preicp totals from snow?  Like what were the 35.5" obs SWE??

Well the depth of 21" makes total sense since those are measured at 7AM daily, and that's about right for the timing of the storm. 35.5" is total snowfall for the calendar day. 

And ASOS is not very good in high wind. 

If you go back and look at all the climo sites for 2022 and 2015 and others youll see the same thing.

No clue why they don't use SWE from a core sample, but OceanStateWX said it, ASOS is king. 

[The 4 Seasons]

3 minutes ago, H2Otown_WX said:

you should email that guy and tell him to make another one

[H2Otown_WX]

11 hours ago, dendrite said:

Good thing it was Cantore and not Bob Stokes

He asked Hillary Andrews to like, do stuff with his "swizzle stick"...uhhhhuhuh

[The 4 Seasons]

8 minutes ago, H2Otown_WX said:

He asked Hillary Andrews to like, do stuff with his "swizzle stick"...uhhhhuhuh

 

[vortex95]

2 hours ago, The 4 Seasons said:

I've been saying this.

And yes a lot of high wind blizzards look just like this with "30-70:1 ratios"

It's bad. 

Just doing a core sample and manually changing the data would fix it. 

I know BOS has had issues for observers and snowfall since the NWS moved to Taunton in the mid-90s.  But I did not know the LEQ was such an issue.  Has the LEQ been a problem for a long time?  Same w/ PVD?

And I know for much of the time, the snow obs have not been taken at Logan, but from observers close to the airport, which is fine, but couldn't the off-site snow observer do an LEQ?  Then they could take that LEQ and mesh it w/ any ASOS rainfall, and come up w/ a reasonable amount.

 

 

[vortex95]

1 hour ago, H2Otown_WX said:

He asked Hillary Andrews to like, do stuff with his "swizzle stick"...uhhhhuhuh

I recall this incident quite well, and the filed court case was of public record.  Holy cow, if even 1/10th of what was claimed occurred in that court paper, it is unreal BS like that went on for *any* length of time.

 

[The 4 Seasons]

3 minutes ago, vortex95 said:

I know BOS has had issues for observers and snowfall since the NWS moved to Taunton in the mid-90s.  But I did not know the LEQ was such an issue.  Has the LEQ been a problem for a long time?  Same w/ PVD?

And I know for much of the time, the snow obs have not been taken at Logan, but from observers close to the airport, which is fine, but couldn't the off-site snow observer do an LEQ?  Then they could take that LEQ and mesh it w/ any ASOS rainfall, and come up w/ a reasonable amount.

 

 

Where were they before Taunton? They moved to Norton several years ago. 

I read the observers are supposed to be within a 2mi radius of the airport, not sure if thats true or still the case. Just something i saw on old PNS going back into the 90s. 

[H2Otown_WX]

11 hours ago, WxWatcher007 said:

I mean, image of the season stuff right here. 

Great River Park?

[WxWatcher007]

3 minutes ago, H2Otown_WX said:

Great River Park?

Yes

[ChangeofSeasonsWX]

7 hours ago, ORH_wxman said:

April ‘97 only jackpotted ORH because it was classic late season elevation enhancement. The QPF maxes were southeast but they wasted a bunch of it on rain. That wouldn’t be the case in late February. That’s why it would truly have been amazing to try and see it. Once you introduce that type of instability aloft into a nuking Nor’ Easter, it takes it up to another level….from merely HECS type stuff to generational top 5 stuff. 

Yeah I feel bad for areas north and west of us that got the rug pulled last minute. It really is a shame considering what the models were showing at first. This was a 1 in 200 year event for this area and I would've been extremely disappointed if I had the rug pulled on my area as well.

The worst part about experiencing a storm like this is knowing that nothing else will ever top it. I got 31" IMBY which is the most I've ever seen and nothing else comes close. I mean, PVD broke its all-time record by 9.3" which is beyond insane. The odds of us seeing something like this again around here is like zero. ORH saw over 30" in 1992, 1997 and 2015. You guys have a better shot at seeing 30" again.

Several meteorologists talked about how this storm hit the “Goldilocks situation" of just the right temperature for wet heavy snow and claim that if it tracked any farther inland that it would've lost a lot of its moisture and not dropped as much snow. I'm not sure how valid it is but this article was an interesting read: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/blizzard-snow-storm-science/3905033/%3f

You have to wonder if climate change keeps increasing the amount of moisture in these storms, maybe someday we will see more mega QPF bombs like this one. It just has to take the perfect track to crush everyone.

[40/70 Benchmark]

1 hour ago, ChangeofSeasonsWX said:

Yeah I feel bad for areas north and west of us that got the rug pulled last minute. It really is a shame considering what the models were showing at first. This was a 1 in 200 year event for this area and I would've been extremely disappointed if I had the rug pulled on my area as well.

The worst part about experiencing a storm like this is knowing that nothing else will ever top it. I got 31" IMBY which is the most I've ever seen and nothing else comes close. I mean, PVD broke its all-time record by 9.3" which is beyond insane. The odds of us seeing something like this again around here is like zero. ORH saw over 30" in 1992, 1997 and 2015. You guys have a better shot at seeing 30" again.

Several meteorologists talked about how this storm hit the “Goldilocks situation" of just the right temperature for wet heavy snow and claim that if it tracked any farther inland that it would've lost a lot of its moisture and not dropped as much snow. I'm not sure how valid it is but this article was an interesting read: https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/blizzard-snow-storm-science/3905033/%3f

You have to wonder if climate change keeps increasing the amount of moisture in these storms, maybe someday we will see more mega QPF bombs like this one. It just has to take the perfect track to crush everyone.

False.

[40/70 Benchmark]

8 hours ago, ORH_wxman said:

April ‘97 only jackpotted ORH because it was classic late season elevation enhancement. The QPF maxes were southeast but they wasted a bunch of it on rain. That wouldn’t be the case in late February. That’s why it would truly have been amazing to try and see it. Once you introduce that type of instability aloft into a nuking Nor’ Easter, it takes it up to another level….from merely HECS type stuff to generational top 5 stuff. 

Too bad...it was so immensely gut-wrenching for me to have history clutched from my grasp at the 11th hour that I just had to disassociate and go to sleep. I would have been physically ill had I remained awake to bare witness to that....it's like the weather god's afforded me the mercy of anesthesia as they disemboweled me. Just absolutely brutal because it would have been like nothing I have ever experienced with widespread 3' amounts. Two in a row now...on the heels of January 2022...I mused about the comparison in the lead up and that's exactly what happened.

One consolation is the mayor of Methuen actually DMed to express his appreciation for my posts on social media alerting them as to the magnitude of the impending storm prior to any OCMs. ..just too bad I kind of threw up on myself concerning amounts up this way-

 

[dendrite]

The thing is PVD measures snow pack water equivalent daily at 18z. 

In the METAR look for the 933rrr remark code which is reported in tenths of inches. 

The problem is they presumably lost 1.4” of liquid in the pack from 18z Mon (during +SN) to 18z yesterday.

22nd 1.5”
23rd 4.1” (+2.6”)
24th 2.7” (-1.4”)

If you’re going to roll with 38” then at least 2.6” w.e. plus whatever the ASOS recorded after that makes a good estimate.

KPVD 221751Z 08009KT 10SM OVC025 01/M04 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP195 4/005 933015 T00061039 10011 21011 56019 $
KPVD 231751Z COR 36028G40KT 1/4SM +SN BLSN FZFG VV007 M04/M05 A2928 RMK AO2 PK WND 36040/1751 SLP914 SNINCR 4/37 P0003 60017 4/037 933041 T10391050 11006 21039 53003 RVRNO $
KPVD 241751Z 33010G18KT 10SM FEW020 FEW250 M01/M12 A2977 RMK AO2 SLP081 4/032 933027 T10111117 11011 21050 58005

[Greg]

2 hours ago, 40/70 Benchmark said:

False.

Correct! I don't believe for a second that if this storm center moved a good 50 to closer to 75 miles north of its trajectory, this would somehow loose its moisture and dump less snow. If anything temps in the low to mid 30's are not usually deemed the most ideal temp for accumulating snow despite what this storm did in that ribbon from southern Providence to the Bridgewater area. Most are in the upper 20's and low 30's at best and hold/carry the most moisture possible without dying out not to mention dendrite formation. If I went by that line of thought, then a supper Blizzard of '78 would never be possible here in the heart of our viewing area (Providence Aera to the Boston Area) which we all know happened so not sure where those Mets got that.  I also know the 30"+ area snowfall coverage in '78 actually enveloped a larger area. 

[40/70 Benchmark]

16 minutes ago, Greg said:

Correct! I don't believe for a second that if this storm center moved a good 50 to closer to 75 miles north of its trajectory, this would somehow loose its moisture and dump less snow. If anything temps in the low to mid 30's are not usually deemed the most ideal temp for accumulating snow despite what this storm did in that ribbon from southern Providence to the Bridgewater area. Most are in the upper 20's and low 30's at best and hold/carry the most moisture possible without dying out not to mention dendrite formation. If I went by that line of thought, then a supper Blizzard of '78 would never be possible here in the heart of our viewing area (Providence Aera to the Boston Area) which we all know happened so not sure where those Mets got that.  I also know the 30"+ area snowfall coverage in '78 actually enveloped a larger area. 

Yea, vast majority of ratio considerations are in the mid levels...sure, you lose some of the modest OES contribution from Monday, but it wasn't significant....I feel the marginal lower levels impeded snowfall more than trivial OES element contributed, thus amounts of would have been greater had it gotten inland.

[Layman]

29 minutes ago, Greg said:

Correct! I don't believe for a second that if this storm center moved a good 50 to closer to 75 miles north of its trajectory, this would somehow loose its moisture and dump less snow. If anything temps in the low to mid 30's are not usually deemed the most ideal temp for accumulating snow despite what this storm did in that ribbon from southern Providence to the Bridgewater area. Most are in the upper 20's and low 30's at best and hold/carry the most moisture possible without dying out not to mention dendrite formation. If I went by that line of thought, then a supper Blizzard of '78 would never be possible here in the heart of our viewing area (Providence Aera to the Boston Area) which we all know happened so not sure where those Mets got that.  I also know the 30"+ area snowfall coverage in '78 actually enveloped a larger area. 

Are the primary drivers for the similarities in areas hit and amounts dropped (in 1978 and 2026) largely due to the intensity of the storm and it's positioning?  I understand 1978 stalled out and snowed over a longer period of time but am mostly curious about the how/why those intense bands just continued to clobber that SEMA and PVD area specifically in both instances.