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

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

Amid freezing temperatures on Tuesday, thousands across the Northeast continued to face power outages as residents and commuters in the region and mid-Atlantic braced against the aftermath of two days of heavy snowfall — including over two feet in several states — from the previous storm. With temperatures remaining below freezing, snow melt was minimal, exacerbating the challenges of clearing roads and restoring infrastructure.

The storm, which intensified rapidly over the weekend, reached bomb cyclone status on Monday morning as winds surged to hurricane-force levels. This rapid strengthening disrupted transportation networks and left hundreds of thousands of households without electricity. Local authorities issued state of emergency declarations and travel bans, urging residents to stay indoors as blizzard warnings persisted across the region.

As of Tuesday night, over 225,000 utility customers in the Northeast were still without power. The majority — more than 190,000 — were located in Massachusetts, primarily served by Eversource in southeastern areas, including Cape Cod. “It will take days” to fully restore power, said Doug Foley, Eversource’s president of electric operations in Massachusetts, during a news conference. “The last couple customers, unfortunately, will be a couple days out.”

Travel disruptions lingered despite eased restrictions. Public transit faced delays, roadways remained icy, and flight cancellations continued to plague the region. By 8 p.m. ET, over 2,200 US flights had been canceled, with the majority affected at the four major northeastern airports: Newark, Boston, and LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy in New York. Among those impacted was Alyssa Myers, who faced repeated cancellations for her Sunday afternoon flight from Philadelphia to Albuquerque. “If you don’t have to go, cancel the trip, get the refund, wait for warmer weather,” Myers told CNN’s Danny Freeman at Philadelphia International Airport.

The storm’s effects extended beyond weather, causing widespread closures of schools and halting major train routes. Government operations also slowed, with the US House and Senate postponing key votes. Even DoorDash, a popular food delivery service, suspended operations in the country’s largest city. While the storm’s intensity lessened by Monday evening, forecasts indicate more severe weather is on the horizon.

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.