Weather tracker ContentWxGuy warned at approximately 4:00 PM UTC on February 22, 2026, that upper-level snow development will reach the surface in 3-5 hours, intensifying the storm over New England and pressing into southern Connecticut by early evening and eastern Massachusetts by late evening, as the powerful surface storm builds ahead of the blizzard warning across New Jersey. Capital Weather Gang reported concerns over the past hour for intense heavy snow between late afternoon and midnight west and northwest of Interstate 95, where converging winds from an inverted trough may cause one-inch-per-hour snowfall rates for several hours, alongside potential heavy bands in southern Maryland and along the Chesapeake Bay's western shores, complicating travel amid the ongoing statewide New Jersey blizzard warning first noted earlier today by NycStormChaser. ContentWxGuy highlighted that snowfall aloft signals imminent expansion from rain to widespread snow overhead, marking the true start for New England within this one-hour reporting window from 3:45:26 PM to 4:45:35 PM UTC, building on the historic full-state New Jersey blizzard warning covering all counties as confirmed by NycStormChaser around 11:15 AM and 2:20 PM UTC. Capital Weather Gang specified that outside these heavy snow zones, lighter snow remains likely but with lesser accumulations, influenced by temperatures that could delay transitions from rain; after midnight, heavier bands are expected to diminish, according to their post within the current window.
