Major Winter Storm Slams Northeast, Triggering Travel Chaos and Widespread Power Outages
Winter Storm Fern is stretching disruption from the Plains to the Northeast, forcing urgent decisions on travel, schools, transit, and safety as Sunday–Monday impacts peak.
By TheMurrow Editorial
January 24, 2026
Key Points
- 1Track the corridor-wide disruption as Winter Storm Fern pushes from the Plains to the Northeast, forcing cities to decide cancel-or-go across services.
- 2Expect major Northeast impacts Sunday–Monday (Jan. 25–26, 2026), with NYC under a Winter Storm Warning and hazardous travel advisory.
- 3Plan around cascading failures: thousands of flights canceled, transit delays, and arctic cold that drives refreeze, safety risks, and longer recovery.
Winter storms have a way of shrinking the country. A trip that felt routine on Wednesday becomes a high-stakes puzzle by Sunday: which roads will be passable, which flights will move, which school districts will close, which bridges will glaze over first.
The system now pushing across the United States—widely referred to in major coverage as “Winter Storm Fern” (an unofficial media name)—is doing exactly that. It has stretched from the southern Plains through the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, forcing a long corridor of communities to make the same set of urgent, unglamorous decisions: cancel or wait, travel or stay, open or close.
If the storm feels everywhere, that’s because it nearly is. The Associated Press has described 40%+ of the U.S. population—more than 140 million people—under some form of winter alert or warning, depending on the update cycle. The storm’s early impacts arrived in the central and southern U.S. ahead of the weekend. The Northeast, meanwhile, is bracing for the most disruptive window: Sunday–Monday (Jan. 25–26, 2026).
A storm doesn’t have to be historic to be expensive—it just has to arrive at the wrong time, in the wrong places.
— — TheMurrow Editorial
Winter Storm Fern, explained: a corridor-wide disruption
Winter Storm Fern is best understood less as a single city’s snow day and more as an interlocking chain reaction. A storm that begins in the southern Plains can topple airline schedules in New York, snarl freight, and drain municipal budgets hundreds of miles away. The geography matters because it creates simultaneous stress across infrastructure that normally absorbs regional shocks.
Major coverage has tracked Fern along a broad path from the southern Plains into the Ohio Valley and onward to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. That “long corridor” quality is what turns a weather event into a logistical problem. When the storm is stretched out, the usual workarounds—rerouting planes, shifting crews, moving road salt—get harder.
Timing compounds the scale. Impacts started in the central and southern U.S. ahead of the weekend, while officials in Northeastern cities moved into public-warning mode before the heaviest snow is expected to arrive. In New York City, the advisory window explicitly targets Sunday, Jan. 25 through Monday, Jan. 26, the period when travel, transit, and emergency response can be tested at the same time.
Four statistics frame the big picture:
- 40%+ of the U.S. population under winter alerts/warnings (AP).
- 140M+ people covered by those alerts/warnings (AP).
- 12,000+ flights canceled across the U.S. amid the storm disruption (AP).
- Nearly 15,000 cancellations through Monday reported in FlightAware-based tallies cited by MarketWatch.
Each number reflects a different kind of strain: human exposure, geographic reach, and the economic cost of a schedule that collapses faster than it can be rebuilt.
Major coverage has tracked Fern along a broad path from the southern Plains into the Ohio Valley and onward to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. That “long corridor” quality is what turns a weather event into a logistical problem. When the storm is stretched out, the usual workarounds—rerouting planes, shifting crews, moving road salt—get harder.
Timing compounds the scale. Impacts started in the central and southern U.S. ahead of the weekend, while officials in Northeastern cities moved into public-warning mode before the heaviest snow is expected to arrive. In New York City, the advisory window explicitly targets Sunday, Jan. 25 through Monday, Jan. 26, the period when travel, transit, and emergency response can be tested at the same time.
Four statistics frame the big picture:
- 40%+ of the U.S. population under winter alerts/warnings (AP).
- 140M+ people covered by those alerts/warnings (AP).
- 12,000+ flights canceled across the U.S. amid the storm disruption (AP).
- Nearly 15,000 cancellations through Monday reported in FlightAware-based tallies cited by MarketWatch.
Each number reflects a different kind of strain: human exposure, geographic reach, and the economic cost of a schedule that collapses faster than it can be rebuilt.
40%+
Of the U.S. population described by AP as being under some form of winter alert or warning, depending on the update cycle.
140M+
People described by AP as covered by those winter alerts/warnings—illustrating the storm’s unusually broad exposure footprint.
12,000+
Flights the AP reported canceled across the U.S. amid storm disruption, reflecting nationwide schedule strain and knock-on delays.
Nearly 15,000
Cancellations through Monday in FlightAware-based aggregates cited by MarketWatch—showing how disruption can persist as crews and aircraft reposition.
Why officials move early in the Northeast
Cities that have lived through “forecast fatigue” still tend to act decisively when snow overlaps with a tight timeline. By the time the first accumulation appears, the most important choices—plow staging, parking bans, school plans—should already be made. Fern’s forecast window has pushed local governments to warn early, precisely because late warnings tend to create panic rather than preparedness.
New York City: hazardous travel advisory and a Winter Storm Warning
New York City has put its warning in plain terms: expect trouble moving around. NYC Emergency Management (NYCEM) issued a hazardous travel advisory spanning Sunday, Jan. 25 through Monday, Jan. 26. The goal is not dramatic language; it’s behavioral change—fewer cars on the road, fewer opportunities for a minor skid to become a gridlock cascade.
NYCEM has also relayed the National Weather Service status for the five boroughs: a Winter Storm Warning from 3 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 until 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26. That timing matters. It captures both the overnight-to-morning travel period—when crews and commuters are moving—and the Monday workday, when pressure to “just try” can overwhelm conditions.
NYCEM’s reminder of the National Weather Service definition is equally pragmatic. A Winter Storm Warning generally implies heavy snow thresholds, at least 6 inches in 12 hours or 8 inches in 24 hours, expected. Those thresholds are less about the number itself and more about what it triggers: plowing demands, potential transit slowdowns, and the heightened risk that emergency vehicles lose minutes when they can least afford to.
NYCEM has also relayed the National Weather Service status for the five boroughs: a Winter Storm Warning from 3 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 until 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26. That timing matters. It captures both the overnight-to-morning travel period—when crews and commuters are moving—and the Monday workday, when pressure to “just try” can overwhelm conditions.
NYCEM’s reminder of the National Weather Service definition is equally pragmatic. A Winter Storm Warning generally implies heavy snow thresholds, at least 6 inches in 12 hours or 8 inches in 24 hours, expected. Those thresholds are less about the number itself and more about what it triggers: plowing demands, potential transit slowdowns, and the heightened risk that emergency vehicles lose minutes when they can least afford to.
The most valuable snow total is the one that changes how you behave before the first flake sticks.
— — TheMurrow Editorial
What “hazardous travel” really signals
A hazardous travel advisory does not mean every street will be impassable. It signals that the city expects enough combination of snow, timing, and cold for ordinary trips to carry elevated risk. For readers, that translates into decisions such as:
- consolidating errands into a single trip (or none),
- shifting work or appointments earlier than the worst window,
- planning for slower emergency response times,
- avoiding driving during peak accumulation if possible.
NYC’s messaging is designed to reduce volume as much as it is to reduce speed. A lightly traveled road is easier to plow, easier to treat, and easier to keep open for ambulances and fire crews.
- consolidating errands into a single trip (or none),
- shifting work or appointments earlier than the worst window,
- planning for slower emergency response times,
- avoiding driving during peak accumulation if possible.
NYC’s messaging is designed to reduce volume as much as it is to reduce speed. A lightly traveled road is easier to plow, easier to treat, and easier to keep open for ambulances and fire crews.
Boston and Massachusetts: snow emergency, parking bans, and school closures
Boston’s posture has been even more formal: Mayor Michelle Wu declared a snow emergency beginning 8 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, with a parking ban. Anyone who has watched a plow try to thread between curbside cars understands the logic. Parking bans are unpopular, but they are often the difference between a plowable street and a long, narrow trench that refreezes into ruts.
Boston also provided a specific expectation about intensity: the city said the highest snowfall rate is expected 2 p.m. Sunday–3 a.m. Monday. That window is a public-service announcement disguised as a forecast. It tells residents when travel is most likely to turn treacherous and when city operations will be under the most pressure.
The storm’s civic consequences are already concrete. Boston announced Boston Public Schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 26, alongside city facilities closures Sunday–Monday. Those decisions carry second-order effects: parents scrambling for childcare, hourly workers losing shifts, and businesses deciding whether to open on limited staffing.
Local reporting across Massachusetts has relayed a Winter Storm Warning with expectations of 1–2 feet of snow in parts of the state, citing National Weather Service messaging via local outlets. Forecast totals can and do shift, and the responsible posture is to treat the range as a planning tool rather than a promise.
Boston also provided a specific expectation about intensity: the city said the highest snowfall rate is expected 2 p.m. Sunday–3 a.m. Monday. That window is a public-service announcement disguised as a forecast. It tells residents when travel is most likely to turn treacherous and when city operations will be under the most pressure.
The storm’s civic consequences are already concrete. Boston announced Boston Public Schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 26, alongside city facilities closures Sunday–Monday. Those decisions carry second-order effects: parents scrambling for childcare, hourly workers losing shifts, and businesses deciding whether to open on limited staffing.
Local reporting across Massachusetts has relayed a Winter Storm Warning with expectations of 1–2 feet of snow in parts of the state, citing National Weather Service messaging via local outlets. Forecast totals can and do shift, and the responsible posture is to treat the range as a planning tool rather than a promise.
The parking ban as an equity issue
A parking ban is a classic example of a policy that’s operationally sound and socially complicated. Residents with off-street parking absorb it easily; residents without it face immediate stress. Cities tend to argue—implicitly or explicitly—that the alternative is worse: streets that cannot be cleared quickly become streets that are dangerous for everyone, including those same residents.
The most effective municipal communication acknowledges the burden while explaining the stakes. Boston’s emergency declaration, timing window, and school closure notices are all forms of that: not a lecture, but a map of what the city intends to do and when.
The most effective municipal communication acknowledges the burden while explaining the stakes. Boston’s emergency declaration, timing window, and school closure notices are all forms of that: not a lecture, but a map of what the city intends to do and when.
Cold as a co-star: wind chills, frostbite risk, and refreeze
Snow draws the headlines; cold determines the aftermath. Massachusetts communications and local reporting have emphasized dangerous arctic cold and wind-chill headlines preceding the storm. That context matters because cold changes the character of a storm and the recovery timeline.
Extreme cold raises the risk of frostbite and hypothermia, especially for people who work outdoors and for residents without reliable heat. It also complicates cleanup. Snow that might partially melt and drain in a marginal-temperature event instead stays in place. Any thaw that does occur can quickly refreeze at night, turning sidewalks into skating rinks and making the “morning after” as dangerous as the storm itself.
Municipalities also face mechanical realities. In bitter cold, equipment breaks more often. Batteries die. Hydraulic lines stiffen. Even routine tasks—clearing a bus stop, de-icing a station entrance—take longer when crews need more breaks and gear.
Extreme cold raises the risk of frostbite and hypothermia, especially for people who work outdoors and for residents without reliable heat. It also complicates cleanup. Snow that might partially melt and drain in a marginal-temperature event instead stays in place. Any thaw that does occur can quickly refreeze at night, turning sidewalks into skating rinks and making the “morning after” as dangerous as the storm itself.
Municipalities also face mechanical realities. In bitter cold, equipment breaks more often. Batteries die. Hydraulic lines stiffen. Even routine tasks—clearing a bus stop, de-icing a station entrance—take longer when crews need more breaks and gear.
Snow is the event. Cold is the consequence.
— — TheMurrow Editorial
What cold means for drivers and pedestrians
The practical implications are straightforward but easy to underestimate:
- Black ice risk rises when daytime melting is limited and nighttime refreeze is rapid.
- Stopping distances increase even on treated roads as temperatures drop.
- Sidewalk hazards persist longer, raising injury risk and delaying normal foot traffic near schools and transit.
Fern’s cold component makes “wait it out” less effective. Even after snow stops, conditions may remain hazardous until sustained treatment and clearing can catch up.
- Black ice risk rises when daytime melting is limited and nighttime refreeze is rapid.
- Stopping distances increase even on treated roads as temperatures drop.
- Sidewalk hazards persist longer, raising injury risk and delaying normal foot traffic near schools and transit.
Fern’s cold component makes “wait it out” less effective. Even after snow stops, conditions may remain hazardous until sustained treatment and clearing can catch up.
Air travel: mass cancellations and what passengers are entitled to
Winter storms expose how tightly air travel is scheduled—and how quickly it can unravel. The AP reported 12,000+ flight cancellations across the U.S. as Fern disrupted weekend travel. MarketWatch, citing FlightAware-based aggregates, reported nearly 15,000 cancellations through Monday, underscoring how the disruption can persist even after conditions improve in one region.
Airlines do not reset instantly. Crews and planes end up out of position. Airports de-ice more slowly in cold. When a storm covers multiple hubs in a corridor, rerouting becomes less of a solution and more of a new bottleneck.
Carriers have issued fee-waiver and rebooking policies for affected regions. Those waivers can save travelers money, but they can also encourage a risky optimism: a rebooked flight is not a guaranteed flight if the storm window remains active.
Business Insider’s consumer-rights framing offers a crucial reminder: when an airline cancels a flight, passengers are generally entitled to a refund—a point worth repeating in a moment when travelers can feel pressured to accept only credits or rebooking.
Airlines do not reset instantly. Crews and planes end up out of position. Airports de-ice more slowly in cold. When a storm covers multiple hubs in a corridor, rerouting becomes less of a solution and more of a new bottleneck.
Carriers have issued fee-waiver and rebooking policies for affected regions. Those waivers can save travelers money, but they can also encourage a risky optimism: a rebooked flight is not a guaranteed flight if the storm window remains active.
Business Insider’s consumer-rights framing offers a crucial reminder: when an airline cancels a flight, passengers are generally entitled to a refund—a point worth repeating in a moment when travelers can feel pressured to accept only credits or rebooking.
A practical playbook for travelers
- ✓Confirm status directly through the airline app and the airport site before leaving home.
- ✓Use rebooking waivers early, when alternatives still exist.
- ✓Know the refund baseline if the airline cancels—refunds can matter more than credits if you simply cannot travel.
- ✓Avoid tight connections through corridor hubs that are likely to be affected by the same system.
The goal is to reduce exposure to compounding failures: a delayed first leg that triggers a missed connection that triggers a multi-day rebook.
Rail and local transit: a quieter kind of disruption
Air travel produces the big numbers and the loudest anger. Rail and transit disruptions can be subtler but just as consequential—especially for workers who don’t have the option to stay home.
Amtrak has issued storm-related cancellations in multiple regions tied to extreme cold and storm conditions, offering rebooking options (as reflected in storm-era service messaging). Even when trains do run, speed restrictions and equipment issues can extend travel time dramatically. A “running” train is not always a reliable train.
For urban transit systems, the challenge is different. Snow affects above-ground tracks, switches, and station entrances. Cold affects reliability and maintenance cycles. When cities ask residents to avoid travel, they’re also trying to preserve transit capacity for essential trips: healthcare workers, utility crews, and residents who need warming centers or emergency services.
Amtrak has issued storm-related cancellations in multiple regions tied to extreme cold and storm conditions, offering rebooking options (as reflected in storm-era service messaging). Even when trains do run, speed restrictions and equipment issues can extend travel time dramatically. A “running” train is not always a reliable train.
For urban transit systems, the challenge is different. Snow affects above-ground tracks, switches, and station entrances. Cold affects reliability and maintenance cycles. When cities ask residents to avoid travel, they’re also trying to preserve transit capacity for essential trips: healthcare workers, utility crews, and residents who need warming centers or emergency services.
Why transit agencies emphasize safety over precision
Riders often want a simple promise—“service will be normal by Monday morning.” Agencies rarely offer it, because the variables are outside their control: snowfall rate, wind, temperature, and the pace of street clearing around bus routes. In storms like Fern, the most honest message is conditional: expect delays, check updates frequently, and avoid unnecessary trips.
That messaging can sound unsatisfying, but it reflects the reality that transit is an ecosystem. A bus can’t run on schedule if streets are narrowed by snowbanks or blocked by stalled vehicles. A commuter rail line can’t run normally if switches ice over. The system works best when fewer people insist on using it at peak stress.
That messaging can sound unsatisfying, but it reflects the reality that transit is an ecosystem. A bus can’t run on schedule if streets are narrowed by snowbanks or blocked by stalled vehicles. A commuter rail line can’t run normally if switches ice over. The system works best when fewer people insist on using it at peak stress.
How city decisions ripple: schools, work, and the economics of a storm
A snow emergency is not just about snow. It is a decision about how a city values time, safety, and the costs of interruption.
Boston’s closure of public schools Monday, Jan. 26 offers a clear example. For some families, a closure is a relief—no risky commute, no bus delays. For others, it’s a scramble. School functions as childcare, food access, and stability. Closing schools protects students and staff but shifts the burden onto households and employers, especially those without flexible work.
NYC’s hazardous travel advisory aims at the same tension. Advisories ask for voluntary restraint in a society that often punishes it. Many workers can’t choose to stay home. Many businesses fear losing revenue. Cities therefore face a communication challenge: warnings must be direct enough to change behavior, without implying that everyone has equal ability to comply.
Boston’s closure of public schools Monday, Jan. 26 offers a clear example. For some families, a closure is a relief—no risky commute, no bus delays. For others, it’s a scramble. School functions as childcare, food access, and stability. Closing schools protects students and staff but shifts the burden onto households and employers, especially those without flexible work.
NYC’s hazardous travel advisory aims at the same tension. Advisories ask for voluntary restraint in a society that often punishes it. Many workers can’t choose to stay home. Many businesses fear losing revenue. Cities therefore face a communication challenge: warnings must be direct enough to change behavior, without implying that everyone has equal ability to comply.
A case study in timing: Boston’s “highest snowfall rate” window
Boston’s stated expectation—2 p.m. Sunday to 3 a.m. Monday as the period of highest snowfall rate—shows a mature approach to public communication. Instead of fixating on totals, it identifies the hours when the city’s risk spikes: reduced visibility, faster accumulation, harder plowing, and more crashes per mile driven.
That kind of timing guidance is often more useful than a single snowfall number. Totals tell you what you’ll shovel. Rates tell you when you shouldn’t be on the road.
That kind of timing guidance is often more useful than a single snowfall number. Totals tell you what you’ll shovel. Rates tell you when you shouldn’t be on the road.
What readers can do now: preparation that respects reality
People often overcorrect in storms—either by panic-buying or by dismissing warnings. Fern calls for a more adult approach: plan for disruptions you can control, and accept the ones you can’t.
Start with mobility. If you can avoid driving during the worst window in your area, do it. If you must drive, assume other drivers will behave badly and that road treatment may lag behind snowfall rate. If you rely on transit, build slack into the schedule and check for service alerts frequently.
Then move to household resilience. Cold plus snow is a power-and-heat story as much as a transportation story. The goal is not survivalism; it’s making sure a predictable outage or delay doesn’t become a crisis.
Actionable steps that align with official warnings and typical storm impacts:
- Charge devices and keep a backup battery ready.
- Stock essentials for 48 hours: food that doesn’t require cooking, water, required medications.
- Dress for exposure, not aesthetics, if you must be outside—wind chills turn short walks into health risks.
- Check on neighbors who are elderly, isolated, or have limited mobility, especially ahead of the coldest periods.
Preparedness is also psychological. Expect plans to change. If you build that assumption into your weekend, you spend less time arguing with the weather and more time adapting to it.
Start with mobility. If you can avoid driving during the worst window in your area, do it. If you must drive, assume other drivers will behave badly and that road treatment may lag behind snowfall rate. If you rely on transit, build slack into the schedule and check for service alerts frequently.
Then move to household resilience. Cold plus snow is a power-and-heat story as much as a transportation story. The goal is not survivalism; it’s making sure a predictable outage or delay doesn’t become a crisis.
Actionable steps that align with official warnings and typical storm impacts:
- Charge devices and keep a backup battery ready.
- Stock essentials for 48 hours: food that doesn’t require cooking, water, required medications.
- Dress for exposure, not aesthetics, if you must be outside—wind chills turn short walks into health risks.
- Check on neighbors who are elderly, isolated, or have limited mobility, especially ahead of the coldest periods.
Preparedness is also psychological. Expect plans to change. If you build that assumption into your weekend, you spend less time arguing with the weather and more time adapting to it.
T
About the Author
TheMurrow Editorial is a writer for TheMurrow covering breaking news.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Winter Storm Fern, and where is it headed?
Winter Storm Fern is a large winter system affecting a wide U.S. corridor from the southern Plains through the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, according to major coverage. Impacts began in the central/southern U.S. ahead of the weekend, with Northeast impacts expected to intensify Sunday–Monday (Jan. 25–26, 2026) as cities issue travel advisories and emergencies.
Is New York City under a Winter Storm Warning?
Yes. NYC Emergency Management has relayed that the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for NYC from 3 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 until 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26. NYCEM also issued a hazardous travel advisory for Sunday through Monday, urging residents to plan for difficult conditions and limit travel where possible.
What does a Winter Storm Warning mean in practical terms?
NYCEM reiterates the NWS definition: a Winter Storm Warning generally signals heavy snow—at least 6 inches in 12 hours or 8 inches in 24 hours expected. Practically, that often means slower or suspended travel, delayed transit, and increased risk of accidents. It’s also a signal to complete errands early and avoid driving during peak snowfall.
What’s happening in Boston—are there closures or a parking ban?
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a snow emergency beginning 8 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, including a parking ban. The city said the highest snowfall rate is expected 2 p.m. Sunday–3 a.m. Monday. Boston also announced Boston Public Schools will be closed Monday, Jan. 26, along with city facility closures across Sunday–Monday.
How bad are flight cancellations from the storm?
Severe. The Associated Press reported 12,000+ U.S. flight cancellations amid the storm’s disruption. MarketWatch, citing FlightAware-based aggregates, reported nearly 15,000 cancellations through Monday. Even after conditions improve in one city, airlines can take days to reposition crews and aircraft, so disruptions often linger.
If my flight is canceled, can I get a refund?
Consumer-rights guidance highlighted by Business Insider is clear: if an airline cancels your flight, passengers are generally entitled to a refund (even if the airline also offers rebooking or credits). Check your airline’s policies and keep documentation. Fee waivers can help, but refunds may be the better option if travel becomes impossible.
