The February 9–11, 2017 North American blizzard was a fast-moving but powerful

blizzard A blizzard is a severe Winter storm, snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow th ...

that affected the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

with

winter weather A winter storm (also known as snow storm) is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In temperate continental and subarct ...

in the time span of February 8–9. Forming as an

Alberta clipper An Alberta clipper, also known as an Alberta low, Alberta cyclone, Alberta lee cyclone, Canadian clipper, or simply clipper, is a fast-moving low-pressure system that originates in or near the Canadian province of Alberta just east of the Rocky ...

in the northern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the system initially produced light snowfall from the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

to the

Ohio Valley The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its mouth on the Mississippi River in Cairo, ...

as it tracked southeastwards. It eventually reached the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

and began to rapidly grow into a powerful

nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low ...

. Up to of

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

as well as

conditions were recorded in some of the hardest hit areas before the system moved away from the coastline early on February 10. Prior to the blizzard, unprecedented and record-breaking warmth had enveloped the region, with record highs of above recorded in several areas, including

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Some were caught off guard by the warmth and had little time to prepare for the snowstorm, with some meteorologists calling the extreme weather changes "unprecedented".

Meteorological history

On February 6, an

developed near the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

and dove southeastwards. With relatively little moisture to supply it, initial snowfall totals in the

Plains In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, an ...

and

were light, ranging from . The system quickly advanced eastwards through the heart of the country, and by 18:00 UTC on February 8, a surface low had developed over the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

–

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

state border. This low would become the dominant low of the system as it continued towards the

, while also producing light to moderate snow across the

since there was enough cold air in place from a departing storm system. As the clipper system neared the

tri-state area Tri-state area is an informal term in the United States which can refer to any of multiple areas that lie across three states. When referring to populated areas, the term implies a shared economy or culture among the area's residents, typically c ...

, it began to steadily intensify and produce more moderate and heavy snow while beginning to make the transition into a

. By 09–12:00 UTC on February 9, the low had begun to move just offshore near the

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

coastline. As very heavy snow bands (with snowfall rates of in some spots) set up offshore, forecasters noted that the low was likely to rapidly deepen – or in meteorological terms, bomb out – due to the temperature contrast between the cold air to its north and moisture feeding into the storm from the warm waters of the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...

. Indeed, the storm had undergone this process, meeting the criteria for bombogenesis, with the central pressure dropping from at 18:00 UTC on February 8 to by 18:00 UTC on February 9 while it was offshore the

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

coastline. Snow slowly began to subside in areas such as eastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and western New Jersey. The storm system was absorbed by another system forming off the coast of Greenland on February 11.

Preparations and impact

On February 8, winter storm warnings were issued for much of the Northeast, including a blizzard warning for parts of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. More than 2,400 flights were cancelled across the affected regions.

New York

On February 8, Mayor

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...

announced that schools in

would be closed the following day, due to the impending snowstorm. Advising residents to stay indoors and stay off the roads, Sanitation Commissioner

Kathryn Garcia Kathryn A. Garcia (; born March 3, 1970) is an American public official serving as Director of State Operations for the state of New York. She served as commissioner for the New York City Sanitation Department from 2014 to 2020 and was a candidat ...

stated, "This will be a very dangerous storm. Luckily it’s not likely to last very long, only a few hours, but during the period of time that it’s coming down it’ll be extraordinarily difficult to drive. So I want to encourage everyone who can take mass transit to please do that." To also avoid a disaster that had happened the year before where several residents were trapped even after the snow subsided due to plows being unable to access certain roads, several smaller equipment and trucks were bought in order to plow the streets in the aftermath. About 2,300 salt spreaders and plows were prepared to plow the streets as of early February 9. Regarding the sudden change from record-high temperatures to a snowstorm, Mayor Bill de Blasio cited that it was "unlike anything 'veseen in my life. What almost feels like a summer day almost, now, and tomorrow a blizzard." Slick roads were responsible for two jackknifed MTA buses early on February 9 in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, however no injuries were reported. In

, a tractor trailer was involved in an accident with multiple vehicles. No injuries were reported. Blizzard-like conditions were also observed in areas mainly near the freeways such as

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

. One death was confirmed when a 59-year old doorman slipped and fell through a glass door in

on East 93rd Street, causing injuries to his face and neck. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Connecticut

was shut down in both directions on February 9 due to reports of several vehicles stuck on both sides of the road. The

Connecticut State Police The Connecticut State Police (CSP) is the state police and highway patrol of the U.S. state of Connecticut, responsible for statewide traffic regulation and law enforcement, especially in areas not served by (or served by smaller) municipal police ...

advised residents on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

to "please stay home if possible".

Bradley International Airport Bradley International Airport – historically known as Bradley Field – is a public international airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, Con ...

also closed due to the snowstorm, as well as several transit services being temporarily suspended. Bradley International Airport realized their 4th snowiest calendar day on record with of snow. On Interstate 95, multiple sections were also closed due to one report of a jackknifed tractor trailer in

West Haven West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located on the coast of Long Island Sound. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. At the 2020 census, the population of the city was 55,584. Hi ...

early on February 9. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Another section was closed due to a three-vehicle accident on the southbound lanes of the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge.

Rhode Island

A state legislative meeting between Representatives and Senators was reportedly cancelled as well as all legislative meetings on February 9. Travel and parking bans were also put into place in many towns, including

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

, as well as the cancellations of most schools. Blizzard conditions were recorded in at least four locations in Rhode Island, including

Block Island Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...

North Smithfield North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterf ...

, Providence, and Westerly. The criteria for blizzard conditions are met when falling and/or blowing snow drops visibility to or less, and sustained winds reach at least for at least three hours.

Massachusetts

Schools in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

were closed because of the storms. Governor

Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician serving as the sixth president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 72nd governor of Massa ...

announced on February 8 a two-hour delay for any non-emergency state employees, in order for crews to quickly treat roads and respond to any crashes that occur. Blizzard conditions were recorded in at least eight locations in Massachusetts, including Beverly,

, Chatham, Hyannis, Marshfield,

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

New Bedford New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...

, and

Provincetown Provincetown () is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States census, Pr ...

New Jersey

Late on February 8, Governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

announced that all state offices would be closed due to the snowstorm, advising workers to stay home. Many schools were also closed as well. By mid-day on February 9, state police had informed news outlets that they had responded to around 145 crashes since midnight. A speed limit was implemented on the

Garden State Parkway The Garden State Parkway (GSP) is a Controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road that stretches the north–south length of eastern New Jersey from the state's southernmost tip near Cape May, New Jersey, Cape May north to the New York ...

from exit 125 to the northern state line. Transit services were also suspended.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, a snow emergency was declared late on February 8, stating that all parked cars had to be moved off the affected areas. Snow across the

Philadelphia metropolitan area Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

was less than anticipated.

Canada

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

, accumulations of snow were reported between on February 9 and 10th with the maximum axis along

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

and Western

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:February 9-11, 2017 North American blizzard 2016–17 North American winter February 2017 in the United States Blizzards in the United States Extratropical cyclones 2017 in New Jersey 2017 in New York (state) 2017 in Massachusetts 2017 in Rhode Island 2017 in Pennsylvania 2017 in Delaware 2017 in Maryland 2017 in Ohio 2017 in Virginia 2017 in Tennessee Nor'easters