Major Blizzard Hitting Northeast; Greenland Nears All-Time Record Cold; Snow Still Piling Up In The Alps; China Blizzards; First Spotless Day In Four Years; + Wall Street Keeps Financing Fossil Fuels
February 22, 2026 delivered the Sun's first spotless day since June 8, 2022. Solar Cycle 25 is waning earlier than expected.
Major Blizzard Hitting Northeast
Some 35 million people are under blizzard warnings from Virginia to Maine — more than 10% of the contiguous US population. In total, over 65 million people are covered by storm-related alerts, close to one-fifth of the country.
The system began “bombing out” early Monday, entering a phase of rapid intensification. Central pressure is plunging toward levels comparable to a Category 2 hurricane, a sign of an extremely powerful mid-latitude storm.
As the Northeast wakes up, the result is widespread whiteout conditions and wind-driven snow.
In New York City, images show snow plastered to street signs in Brooklyn, with totals already reaching around 9 inches as of 2 am local time, with conditions still deteriorating.
Intense snow bands continue to wrap around the core, capable of dumping heavy accumulations in a short time while strong winds drive severe blowing and drifting. For large parts of the Northeast, the worst of this blizzard is still unfolding.
The setup could hardly have been more extreme. The storm is feeding off a deep lobe attached to the historic ‘polar vortex’ currently building in Greenland...
Greenland Nears All-Time Record Cold
Greenland is plunging into one of the coldest upper-air setups ever observed.
