The National Weather Service issued a Blizzard Warning for New York City and Long Island at approximately 8:00 AM UTC on February 21, 2026, marking the first such alert in four years, forecasting 13-18 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 55 mph from Sunday 6:00 AM to Monday 6:00 PM, according to PIX11News reporter Mike Masco. The warning covers southern Connecticut and southeast New York, with worst conditions expected Sunday night into Monday, including near-zero visibility in blowing snow, possible whiteout conditions, life-threatening travel, power outages, tree damage, and severe impacts to Monday commutes, as stated in Masco's X post shared during the reporting window from 6:15 AM to 9:15 AM UTC. This development contrasts earlier European model forecasts of about 2 inches for Washington, DC, reported by Fox 5 meteorologist Mike Thomas at 5:00 AM UTC, which predicted a rain-snow mix after Sunday sunset, while the GFS model showed 8-12+ inches along I-95.
