How record-breaking blizzard of 2026 compares to Long Island's past historic snowstorms

By mid-afternoon Monday, the powerful winter storm that buried parts of Long Island under more than 2 feet of snow was starting to wane.

But the Blizzard of 2026 made its mark, shutting schools and businesses, halting road and rail traffic for much of the day and cutting power to thousands of homes. Meteorologists said the storm would likely set a record for total snowfall for the region, with a preliminary reading of 29.1 inches of snowfall at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, breaking the 27.8-inch record set in 2013.

Here’s how the Blizzard of 2026 stacked up against other historic snowstorms.

Blizzard of Feb. 9, 2017: A day of record warmth preceded the storm, with temperatures reaching 62 degrees before dropping by as much as 40 degrees in a matter of hours. The blizzard dumped 12 to 16 inches of snow across Long Island, with snowfall as heavy as 4 inches per hour, forcing first responders to make hundreds of rescues across the region. Thousands of flights were canceled.

Blizzard of Feb. 8-9, 2013, AKA Snowstorm Nemo: The previous record holder, it brought rain, wind and snow from Long Island to Maine. On Long Island, Suffolk bore the brunt of this event, which started on a Friday and stranded some evening commuters. Air National Guard members based in Westhampton made 20 rescues using snowmobiles and Humvees, and in Smithtown, Nesconset and St. James, firefighters checked on about 50 vehicles stranded on Route 347 near Smith Haven Mall to see if motorists were OK.

Northeast Blizzard of Feb. 5-7, 1978: One expert said this 39-hour blizzard was Long Island’s worst since at least the 1940s. Newsday reported at least three deaths, 3,000 cars "abandoned in a wilderness of abandoned highways, 2,000 motorists in emergency refugee centers and flooding and tides so severe that 11 houses collapsed."

Dec. 26, 1947: 26 inches of snow stranded eastbound Long Island Rail Road trains and their passengers for up to 18 hours, Newsday reported at the time. Trains bound for Hempstead, Long Beach, Bay Shore and Sayville were caught. The passengers spent the time "in cold trains without toilet facilities, and without even a cup of hot coffee to warm them," Newsday reported then.

Blizzard of March 11, 1888: Meteorologists called this a "once in 500-year storm." The forecast was for 50 degrees and light rain, but Long Island got a 72-hour storm that dropped more than 30 inches of snow across the region, with drifts to 40 feet. Temperatures ranged from 11 degrees down to minus 1, and 400 people died across the metropolitan area. .