A strong blocking regime of high pressure over the Canadian Maritime provinces prevented the storm system from exiting to the east.

This resulted in a cutoff low (not influenced by the predominant jet stream currents), which took a highly unusual track, retrograding west into New York state before looping back out to sea.

Sustained winds in excess of tropical storm force (39 mph (63 km/h)) and heavy rain caused large tree branches in the region to break.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported 85,000 customers in Essex and Middlesex counties were without power the morning of February 26.

About a dozen homes and businesses in Freetown were vacated voluntarily amidst concern that Forge Pond Dam on the Assonet River might burst due to high levels of water from heavy rain.

[15] The heaviest snows fell in the northern and western parts of the state, with locations in Sussex County reporting more than 24 inches (61 cm).

Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, and Union counties, where many of New York City's western suburbs are located, reported snowfall totals of 12 to 20 inches (30 to 51 cm).

The system began making landfall in the New York region as early as late Wednesday and was the most active area of the storm.

The National Weather Service predicted that much of the accumulations would occur in the southeastern portion of the state, with hard hit areas getting as much as 24 inches (61 cm) of snow.

[19] In New York City, 20.9 inches (53 cm) fell in Central Park, mixed with slushy accumulation due to above-freezing temperatures during the day.

Falling tree branches due to the heavy wet snow and strong winds resulted in one casualty (Elmaz Qyra) in Central Park[20] and created dangerous conditions on the streets.

City mayor Michael Bloomberg originally decided to keep the public schools running on Friday, but acquiesced later when the weather condition worsened overnight.

[25] In the early morning of February 25, several communities in Berks, Lancaster and Lebanon counties issued snow emergencies.

Due to the shifting track of the storm, the city of Philadelphia did not receive as much snow as had been predicted, with totals only approaching 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm).

Whiteout conditions and multiple crashes in the early morning of February 26 forced an indefinite closure of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in both directions between Carlisle and Breezewood.

[30] At 6:00 p.m. on February 26, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission implemented a 45 mph (72 km/h) speed limit between the Ohio state line and the Breezewood exit, a distance of 161 miles (259 km).

Drenching rains from the storm may have caused a retaining wall in a Providence parking lot to collapse, leading to a washout of the ground underneath.

[32] Blizzard conditions and heavy snowfall in the eastern mountains of the state bordering Maryland led the West Virginia Department of Transportation to close a portion of Interstate 68.

Prior to the storm the Accuweather forecast called for winds gusting to 70 mph (110 km/h) in some locations and predicted that coastal flooding and power outages would occur.

National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Evanego said the use of these terms was not responsible, could lead to panic and noted that "snowicane" was not in the glossary of meteorology.