North American blizzard of 2006

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The North American blizzard of 2006 was a powerful winter storm that hit eastern North America from the evening of February 11 to February 13, 2006. It formed in the southern states, moved up the coast, and intensified rapidly on February 12, bringing heavy snow to the Mid-Atlantic and New England and ending in Atlantic Canada.

Snow totals were high across a large swath of the region. Many places from Virginia to Maine saw well over a foot of snow. New York City recorded 26.9 inches (68 cm), the most in its recorded history for a single storm at the time. Hartford, Connecticut, got about 21.9 inches, and Fairfield, Connecticut, 27.8 inches. Some locations along the coast saw even more, with reports of around 32 inches in parts of New England.

Despite the very large amounts of snow, the storm was considered a low-end Category 3 on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale. The peak snow fell over a relatively small, heavily populated area, and the winds and visibility were not as extreme as in some other blizzards. The dry, light nature of the snow helped cleanup, and unusually warm temperatures in the days after the storm aided melting.

A rare feature of the storm was the formation of an eye, captured by NASA in a satellite image.

In terms of damage and casualties, there were no direct deaths, but three indirect fatalities occurred. Damage was about $5 million (2006 USD). The storm caused power outages in several states, with Maryland and Virginia experiencing the largest outages.

Coastal areas experienced wind-driven flood risks, with parts of Massachusetts seeing storm surges and strong winds. Airports in the New York City area were closed, and many flights were canceled. Connecticut mobilized thousands of plows to clear roads, and various states restricted travel and closed schools as needed.

By the afternoon of February 12, the heavy snow began to ease in the United States, though winds remained strong along the Atlantic coast. The storm moved into Atlantic Canada and dissipated by February 13.

Central Park in New York City recorded 26.9 inches, the largest single-storm snowfall there up to that time. The 2005–06 winter ended with New York City receiving more snow than Albany for the first time in many years.