Communities across the Northeast are digging out after a punishing and, in some areas, record-setting snowstorm buried the region under more than 2 feet of snow, snarled travel and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. Even as skies began to clear Tuesday, forecasters warned that another system forming near the Great Lakes could soon bring more winter weather.
Meteorologists described Monday’s storm as the most powerful to hit the region in a decade. While conditions improved in some areas, recovery remained slow. Roads gradually reopened, transit systems restarted in stages and utility crews worked to restore electricity in hard-hit states including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware and Rhode Island.
In Massachusetts alone, about 230,000 customers were still without power Tuesday, most of them on Cape Cod and in the Plymouth–New Bedford area. Eversource said restoring service could take several days, calling it a “multi-day restoration” effort. Crews faced heavy, wet snow that iced over equipment and downed wires, complicating repairs. Nearly 2,000 line workers, along with tree and assessment teams from neighboring states, were deployed to assist.
Cities turned to large-scale snow removal strategies. In New York City, sanitation crews prepared to deploy giant snow-melting machines — massive heated basins capable of liquefying millions of pounds of snow — to accelerate cleanup. Officials said similar equipment melted 23 million pounds of snow during a previous storm.
Despite lingering snow and icy sidewalks, New York City reopened its public schools Tuesday after a snow day and midwinter break. Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended the decision, saying families rely on in-person learning and that switching to remote instruction on short notice would have been difficult. Preliminary figures showed 63% attendance among roughly 900,000 students, well below the typical 90% average. About 12,000 teachers called out sick, prompting the city to bring in more than 5,000 substitutes.
The mayor also addressed video showing teenagers throwing snowballs at police officers during a large gathering in Washington Square Park. Mamdani downplayed calls for criminal charges, describing the incident as a snowball fight, though some law enforcement officials and political critics disagreed.
Meanwhile, thousands of residents signed up for $30-an-hour emergency snow-shoveling jobs. The city eased application requirements after some applicants reported confusion over documentation rules. Officials said more than 3,500 people have now enrolled in the expanded program.
Elsewhere in the region, Rhode Island lifted a travel ban but urged caution as crews continued clearing roads. In Providence, snow was hauled to multiple dumping sites across the city, sparking criticism from a state lawmaker concerned about environmental impacts in certain neighborhoods. City officials said the locations were chosen for efficiency and equity.
Air travel also faced significant disruption. In addition to thousands of cancellations during the storm, more than 1,500 U.S. flights were delayed Tuesday as airlines worked to reposition aircraft and crews. Aviation experts said it could take several days for schedules to fully stabilize, especially since major Northeast hubs were heavily affected.
Back on the ground, many sidewalks remained treacherous, narrowed by snowbanks and packed ice. Residents shoveled out cars buried by plows, and some neighborhoods remained difficult to navigate for people using wheelchairs or pushing strollers. Shelters stayed open in several communities for those needing heat.
With another storm potentially on the way, officials cautioned that the region’s recovery may be brief before winter weather strikes again.
