Historic Blizzard of ’26 Sets Two Major Snowfall Records

As much of Southern New England continues to dig out from Winter Storm Hernando, it probably comes as no surprise that this epic storm has officially broken snowfall records across the area.

With a whopping 37.9" recorded at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, RI by the time the storm had come and gone, Hernando became the snowiest winter storm to ever hit Southern New England. In fact, it smashed the old record set by the Blizzard of '78 by nearly 10 inches.

Yet that wasn't the only record set by this historic storm.

READ MORE: The Two Massive Storms That Brought Thundersnow to SouthCoast

Turns out the Blizzard of '26 also broke the one-day snowfall record, which was set just 30 years ago.

How Much Snow Fell During the Blizzard of 1996?

Though not nearly as famous as the Blizzard of 1978, there was a Blizzard of 1996 on January 7-8, 1996 that dumped 24.0" of snow across Southern New England.

That storm started on January 7, but really ramped up on January 8 when 19.0" fell at T.F. Green Airport in a single day. For the last 30 years that has stood as the single day snowfall record locally, but once again Winter Storm Hernando put that number to shame.

READ MORE: National Guard Called Into New Bedford For Snow Emergency

Despite kicking off late on Sunday, February 22, 2026, Winter Storm Hernando really hit its stride on Monday, February 23, 2026 when it dropped 35.5" in a single day at rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour.

Clearly this most recent snowstorm is going to be one that stands in the history books for decades to come.

The Top 10 Snowstorms in Southern New England

The historic Blizzard of '26 may have just set the new standard for snowfall across Southern New England, but which snowstorm did it surpass? Keep scrolling to see the Top Ten Snowstorms ever recorded and which ones you may have lived through.