Power outages, travel troubles and bitter cold plague Northeast in wake of historic bomb cyclone blizzard

Historic Bomb Cyclone Leaves Northeast in Chaos

As of Tuesday, tens of thousands of residents in the Northeast continued to grapple with power outages amid record-low temperatures, while the region and mid-Atlantic states worked to recover from days of relentless snowfall. In parts of the region, snow accumulation exceeded two feet, disrupting travel and stranding commuters. Officials warned that freezing conditions would persist, limiting snow melt and extending the impact of the storm.

A Rapidly Intensifying Winter Storm

The storm, which emerged late Sunday, escalated to bomb cyclone status on Monday morning, rapidly intensifying with hurricane-force winds and heavy snow bands. This sudden strengthening left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity, forcing local authorities to declare emergencies and implement travel restrictions. Public transit faced delays, and icy roadways posed additional challenges for those attempting to navigate the chaos.

Massachusetts Hit Hardest by the Outage Crisis

Among the hardest-hit areas, Massachusetts bore the brunt of the power failures, with over 190,000 customers still without service as of Tuesday night. The majority of these outages were concentrated in southeastern regions, including Cape Cod, according to PowerOutage.us. Eversource, the utility company serving the area, estimated that restoring power to all affected households would require multiple days.

“It is a multiday restoration,” said Doug Foley, Eversource’s president of electric operations in Massachusetts. “The last couple customers, unfortunately, will be a couple days out.”

Meanwhile, travelers faced ongoing disruptions, with hundreds of flights canceled. As of 8 p.m. ET, more than 2,200 US flights had been grounded, primarily affecting the four major northeastern airports: Newark, Boston, LaGuardia, and John F. Kennedy in New York. Alyssa Myers, stranded at Philadelphia International Airport, shared her frustration over repeated flight cancellations and advised others to reconsider non-essential trips.

“If you don’t have to go, cancel the trip, get the refund, wait for warmer weather,” Myers told CNN’s Danny Freeman.

Widespread Disruptions Across Infrastructure

The storm’s severity rippled through daily life, prompting closures of schools, halting major train routes, and even suspending operations by DoorDash in the country’s largest city. The US House and Senate also delayed critical votes as the blizzard forced a pause in congressional activity. Though the storm’s intensity lessened by Monday evening, forecasts indicated the potential for renewed snowfall, prolonging the recovery period.

CNN’s August Phillips, Aaron Cooper, Holly Yan, Alaa Elassar, Zoe Sottile, Hanna Park, and meteorologists Mary Gilbert, Briana Waxman, and Chris Dolce contributed to this report.