Rhode Island is in the grip of a historic winter storm that's rewriting the state's weather history. The Blizzard of 2026 dumped up to 34 inches of snow across Newport County, while the official state record was set at T.F. Green International Airport with 37.9 inches, obliterating the previous record of 28.6 inches from the Blizzard of '78. This is the greatest single snowstorm on record in Rhode Island history.
Governor Dan McKee has extended the Rhode Island travel ban and the state of emergency through Tuesday morning as gusty winds continue to blow snow across the state, hampering road clearance and power restoration efforts. The governor announced that the travel ban and state of emergency will remain in effect through Tuesday morning and will be reassessed at that time to allow state and local plow crews to make overnight progress. State Police have cited 24 vehicles for violating the travel ban, which carries an $85 ticket for the first offense.
The massive storm is creating dangerous conditions statewide. At about 10 a.m., officials placed roughly 50,000 Rhode Island Energy customers without power. The utility projects up to a 72-hour window from the peak outage for full restoration for some customers. State offices will remain closed through Tuesday afternoon because of blizzard impacts. Authorities continue to urge residents to remain off roadways while the travel ban is active to allow plows and emergency teams to operate and to reduce the number of incidents that currently consume limited resources.