A rapidly evolving coastal storm is raising alarms across the U.S. East Coast, with forecasters warning a potential nor’easter could intensify from Sunday into Monday (Feb. 22–23, 2026) and bring a volatile mix of heavy snow, damaging winds, and coastal hazards from the Mid-Atlantic to New England. The biggest danger: the storm may “bomb out” — a rapid pressure drop known as bombogenesis — if its track and upper-level energy align.

The uncertainty is exactly what’s making emergency planners uneasy. The Weather Prediction Center said model guidance still shows unusual spread and run-to-run inconsistencies, but the core signal is growing louder: an intensifying low off the Mid-Atlantic coast Sunday into Monday and a deep surface low likely tracking just offshore of the Northeast, a setup that can pivot conditions from rain to heavy snow with only a small shift in track.

The Washington Post reported snowfall outcomes range from a few inches to multiple feet depending on the storm’s path, with major population centers from Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston inside the risk corridor for disruptive snow and wind.

While it’s too early for precise “feet of snow” guarantees in any one city, the storm’s timing is brutal: late-week travel already faces slick conditions in parts of the Northeast, and meteorologists warn the weekend system could escalate into widespread road chaos and significant air-rail disruptions.

The message from forecasters is blunt: treat this like a high-end event until proven otherwise. In a region where a 50-mile wobble can decide who gets rain and who gets buried, the storm’s “final list” is still being written — and it could change fast.