Whitman, Massachusetts, was among the hardest-hit communities in southeastern Massachusetts following a historic blizzard that dumped 33.7 inches of snow on the town, according to the National Weather Service. The storm, dubbed the Blizzard of 2026, left more than three feet of snow across parts of the state and triggered widespread power outages.
As of early Tuesday morning, February 24, 2026, over 254,000 customers in Massachusetts were without power, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Eversource reported more than 230,000 of its customers in eastern Massachusetts were affected. The utility company stated that “an army of crews” was being dispatched to the hardest-hit areas to restore electricity.
The blizzard brought wind gusts exceeding 80 miles per hour to Massachusetts, compounding the challenges posed by the heavy snowfall. A travel ban was issued for southeastern Massachusetts, where snow totals surpassed 40 inches in some locations. Fall River recorded the highest snowfall total at 41 inches.
Schools in Boston and numerous other Massachusetts districts remained closed on Tuesday. Boston remained under a snow emergency until 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Central Plymouth County Water District Commission and the Whitman Middle School Building Committee both held scheduled meetings on Tuesday, February 24th, despite the ongoing conditions.
Whitman, a town of approximately 15,121 residents located 20 miles south of Boston, is known as “The Birthplace of the Chocolate Chip Cookie,” a detail stemming from Ruth Graves Wakefield’s invention of the treat at the Toll House Inn. The town was settled as early as 1670 and incorporated in 1875, having previously been part of Bridgewater, and Abington.
The Blizzard of 2026 surpassed the record snowfall from the Blizzard of 1978 in Providence, Rhode Island, with 37.9 inches recorded, exceeding the previous record of 28.6 inches. The storm’s impact extended beyond Massachusetts, with significant snowfall reported in Rhode Island and other parts of New England.