Totals across the city and the island
Snow fell from Sunday, February 22 into Monday, February 23, 2026, with blizzard-like conditions in parts of the region. Totals compiled on February 24 put Central Park at 15.1 inches, LaGuardia at 15.1 and JFK at 15.0. Brooklyn ran higher: 20.5 inches in Sheepshead Bay and 16.9 in Bay Ridge. Jackson Heights in Queens measured 17.0 inches and Grasmere on Staten Island 24.1.
Long Island took the heaviest hit. Remsenburg-Speonk reported 27.5 inches, Central Islip 27.0 and Islip Airport 22.5. The highest total in the state reached 31 inches. Reporters noted that the numbers could still change as survey work was finished.
Wind plus snow means drifts on the roof
In a blizzard the snow does not settle evenly. Wind scours one side of the roof and loads the other, and a chimney acts like a fence. Snow drifts deep on the side facing the wind and fills the space behind the stack. On a wide chimney that space is supposed to be protected by a cricket, a small peaked saddle that splits water around the back. Where there is no cricket, a drift there can sit for days and melt slowly straight into the flashing joint.
Snow also packs into chimney caps. A mesh cap with ice frozen into the screen can restrict the flue just as the heating system is running hard, and it can lead to smoky starts at a fireplace.
Low vents and carbon monoxide
On Long Island and in the outer boroughs, many homes have direct-vent boilers, water heaters and gas fireplaces that exhaust through the side wall near ground level. Two feet of snow, plus whatever gets plowed or shoveled against the house, can cover those terminals completely. Some appliances lock out when their vent is blocked. Others keep running and spill exhaust.
Clear every vent you can safely reach, and keep CO alarms working on each level. If an alarm sounds or someone feels sick, dizzy or sleepy for no reason, get out of the house and call 911 or the gas utility.
What usually turns up later
The common aftermath of a storm like this is a leak that appears during the thaw rather than during the snow: a stain on the ceiling behind the chimney, wet insulation in the attic, or water dripping onto the fireplace damper. A bent or missing cap, and cracked crown concrete where ice sat for days, are the other usual findings.
In brownstones and rowhouses with flat roofs, the picture is a little different. Snow sits evenly around the chimney rather than drifting, and the weak point is usually the joint where the roofing membrane turns up the side of the brick. If that joint was finished with roofing cement alone rather than proper counter-flashing set into the mortar, standing meltwater can seep behind it. Rowhouse chimneys that serve several flues side by side also tend to have wide crowns that hold a lot of snow and ice.
Want a professional look? See our chimney flashing repair service, or call (844) 468-2410 for a free written estimate.
