Summary of February 22-23, 2026 Winter Storm

Overview

Strong low pressure began to develop off the coast of North Carolina during the morning of February 22 as a leading upper shortwave tracked over the local area. While temperatures above 3000 feet were below freezing, the lowest levels were still above freezing. Therefore, precipitation started as rain area wide with temperatures in the upper 30s. Weak CAA was ongoing throughout the day, though daytime heating and the late February sun angle likely kept the lowest levels just warm enough for the precipitation to remain rain for much of the morning into the early afternoon. A strong, negatively tilted shortwave and associated upper low approached later in the day and tracked over the area during the evening through early morning on 2/23. This caused the low to rapidly deepen as it tracked NE off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Precipitation gradually increased in intensity during the afternoon, and precipitation began to change to snow over the Maryland Eastern Shore by mid afternoon as surface temperatures dropped to 32-33F. Elsewhere precipitation remained as rain until the late afternoon-early evening with the loss of daytime heating and increasing CAA with winds becoming N then NW. While it snowed for 2-6 hours during the evening in areas west of the Chesapeake Bay with surface temperatures of 32-33F, the warm ground and marginal surface temperatures resulted in extremely inefficient accumulation rates (and even initially on the eastern shore). The snow ended west of the bay by 8-11 PM. 2-4.5" fell across the northern neck. 1-2" of snow fell in Hampton Roads where heavy rates allowed for a quick accumulation even on the roads. However, only a trace to 1" was observed in the Richmond Metro area where snow rates couldn't overcome the warm ground. For example, the Richmond airport reported 0.25" of precipitation after the changeover to snow but only a trace of accumulation. Visibilities there never got below 1 mile, which directly correlate to snowfall rates.

It was a completely different story on the eastern shore (except for Northampton County which only saw 3-4" of snow). While the snow struggled to accumulate much before sunset, conditions rapidly deteriorated during the night of 2/22 into the early morning of 2/23 as the NW winds increased to 20-35 mph with gusts to 40-55 mph with snow rates averaging 1"/hour between 6 PM and 3 AM. Rates peaked in the 2-3"/hour range briefly. Brief blizzard conditions were observed and temperatures dropped to 30-31F, allowing for much more efficient snow accumulation. 8-14" of mostly heavy, wet snow fell from northern Accomack County to the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore. The heavy, wet snow stuck to all surfaces. The weight of the snow combined with the wind resulted in 20-40% of Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester Counties to lose power during the storm. Despite temperatures just below freezing, the last inch or two of snow was light and fluffy with rapidly cooling mid level temperatures on the back side of the deepening low. Coastal flood impacts were very limited given winds becoming NW to WNW as the low deepened offshore. Coastal flood impacts likely would have been much greater if the low had deepened to ~980mb just 50-100 miles farther south.

Snow Map
Photos
Radar
Storm Reports
Environment

Snow Map

Photos

Selected Snow Photos


Snow on Ocean City Boardwalk	Trees down in Ocean Pines	Trees and power lines down in Parsonburg	Snow on Chincoteague Light


Snow in Chincoteague	12.5" of snow in Parsonburg	More snow in Ocean Pines	Snow in Assateague

Radar

Selected Radar Loops


KDOX Radar Loop of Reflectivity and CC from 1 PM on 2/22 to 7 AM on 2/23	KAKQ Radar Loop of Reflectivity and CC from 3-11 PM on 2/22

Storm Reports

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Wakefield VA
1149 AM EST Mon Feb 23 2026

...STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL REPORTS FROM 2/22-23...

Location                     Amount    Time/Date       Provider

...Maryland...

...Dorchester County...
2 ENE East New Market        8.8 in    0850 AM 02/23   Public
Cambridge                    8.0 in    0323 AM 02/23   911 Call Center
1 NNE Wingate                8.0 in    0900 AM 02/23   Public
Vienna                       7.5 in    1230 AM 02/23   Public
2 ESE Cambridge              7.0 in    0500 AM 02/23   Dept of Highways
Cambridge                    7.0 in    1028 AM 02/23   NWS Employee
2 ENE East New Market        6.5 in    1036 PM 02/22   Public
2 SE East New Market         3.0 in    0825 PM 02/22   911 Call Center

...Somerset County...
2 S Princess Anne            9.0 in    0500 AM 02/23   Dept of Highways
1 S Deal Island              8.0 in    0900 AM 02/23   Public
Eden                         6.5 in    0900 AM 02/23   Public
Princess Anne                5.8 in    0800 AM 02/23   Other Federal

...Wicomico County...
Parsonsburg                  12.5 in   0815 AM 02/23   Public
Pittsville                   12.0 in   0930 AM 02/23   Public
Sharptown                    11.0 in   0830 AM 02/23   Public
Delmar 0.3 ESE               10.3 in   0600 AM 02/23   COCORAHS
2 SSE Delmar                 10.0 in   0900 AM 02/23   Trained Spotter
1 WNW Salisbury              9.0 in    0500 AM 02/23   Dept of Highways
2 ENE Salisbury-Wicomico     9.0 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
3 ESE Hebron                 9.0 in    0800 AM 02/23   Public
Hebron                       8.0 in    0700 AM 02/23   Public
Salisbury-Wicomico           4.0 in    0930 PM 02/22   CO-OP Observer

...Worcester County...
Ocean Pines                  14.0 in   1030 AM 02/23   Public
3 SW Ocean City Municipality 10.5 in   0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
Pocomoke City                9.0 in    0800 AM 02/23   Public
1 NE Snow Hill               9.0 in    0900 AM 02/23   Public
1 NE Snow Hill               7.5 in    0500 AM 02/23   Dept of Highways
Snow Hill                    7.0 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...Virginia...

...Accomack County...
3 N Wallops Island           11.0 in   0700 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer
3 N Wallops Island           8.0 in    1200 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer
2 W Painter                  3.7 in    0825 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer
2 W Pungoteague              3.5 in    0706 AM 02/23   Trained Spotter

...Caroline County...
Penola                       2.0 in    0735 PM 02/22   Public
2 S Dawn                     1.2 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
Ladysmith                    0.8 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
3 W Penola                   0.8 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...Chesterfield County...
3 SW Beach                   0.2 in    0700 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer

...City of Chesapeake County...
Portlock                     1.0 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
2 SSE Herberts Corner        0.5 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...City of Newport News County...
2 WSW Beaconsdale            1.5 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
1 S Beaconsdale              1.0 in    0830 PM 02/22   Other Federal

...City of Norfolk County...
2 SE Norview                 1.4 in    1200 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer
1 SSE Ocean View             1.3 in    0900 PM 02/22   Trained Spotter

...Essex County...
1 W Tappahannock             1.3 in    0830 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer
Tappahannock                 1.3 in    0912 AM 02/23   Dept of Highways

...Gloucester County...
1 SSW Ware Neck              2.0 in    0900 PM 02/22   Trained Spotter
1 WSW Fort Nonsense          2.0 in    0700 AM 02/23   Public
2 ENE Clay Bank              1.3 in    0800 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...Greensville County...
Purdy                        1.0 in    1250 AM 02/23   Trained Spotter

...Hanover County...
1 SSE Mechanicsville         1.2 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...Isle of Wight County...
1 SSW Smithfield             0.5 in    0630 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...James City County...
2 N Five Forks               2.0 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
1 SE Toano                   1.4 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...King William County...
1 N West Point               0.5 in    0600 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer

...Lancaster County...
Urbanna 6.2 NNE              3.5 in    0630 AM 02/23   COCORAHS

...Lunenburg County...
2 N Dundas                   0.3 in    0700 AM 02/23   Trained Spotter

...Mathews County...
Gwynn                        1.3 in    0906 AM 02/23   Trained Spotter
1 SE Port Haywood            1.0 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
2 S Fort Nonsense            0.7 in    0800 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer

...Middlesex County...
Deltaville                   1.7 in    0700 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
2 W Saluda                   1.5 in    0900 AM 02/23   Dept of Highways

...New Kent County...
1 S Talleysville             1.0 in    0715 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...Northampton County...
1 ENE Dalbys                 3.2 in    0800 AM 02/23   Cocorahs
2 ENE Dalbys                 3.2 in    0900 AM 02/23   Cocorahs

...Northumberland County...
1 NNW Fair Port              3.0 in    0908 AM 02/23   Trained Spotter
1 WNW Fair Port              1.3 in    0700 PM 02/22   Trained Spotter

...Powhatan County...
3 SSE Worshams               1.0 in    1020 PM 02/22   Public

...Sussex County...
1 NW Wakefield               0.6 in    1200 AM 02/23   Official NWS Obs

...Westmoreland County...
Oldhams                      4.5 in    0702 AM 02/23   Public

...York County...
Tabb                         3.0 in    0948 PM 02/22   Public
2 N Williamsburg             1.2 in    1200 AM 02/23   CO-OP Observer
&&

Environment

Synoptic summary.


WPC 500mb Loop from 7 AM on 2/22 to 7 AM on 2/23	Loop of WPC Surface Analysis from 7 AM on 2/22 to 7 AM on 2/23	Loop of Observations from 7 AM on 2/22 to 7 AM on 2/23