Blizzard 2026
Here at my farm, everyone on my crew is busy cleaning up after the Blizzard of 2026 dropped more than a foot - in some places more than two - of heavy, wet snow.
The storm began Sunday afternoon and then continued through the next day with whiteout conditions and high winds. Offices were closed, travel bans on major streets, highways and bridges were imposed, and everyone was advised to stay home. Winter is definitely not over yet. And there is more snow in the forecast.
Here are some photos, enjoy. I hope all of you affected are okay.
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- This week’s powerful winter blizzard brought strong winds and widespread heavy snow across much of the Northeast. More than 20-inches fell at my farm. This linden tree-lined path between the paddocks runs from my Winter House and carport down to the chicken coops.
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- The stable and Boxwood Allée look so different in winter. I am so glad the boxwood is covered under burlap shrouds to keep everything protected from the snow.
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- This storm set multiple one-day records across New England. It brought strong winds and caused low visibility. Thankfully my farm did not suffer any damage.
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- Narrow paths were made to all my animal pens right away, so they could be accessed and checked.
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- Here is my stable complex courtyard. The cobblestone is completely covered again – a new layer of snow after last month’s big storm dropped an initial two feet.
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- The next day was sunny and much more calm after the storm. Here’s a dawn redwood, Metasequoia, with its straight trunk – an impressive tree by any standard and beautiful in any season.
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- Snow shadows of the trees and the many branches could be seen all over the grounds.
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- The 100-year old white spruce fencing has stood the test of time. I love how the snow collects on the fence rails. I have photographed sections of this beautiful fence many times through the seasons.
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- Here, it is easy to see which direction the snow was falling. This was a wet snow. Wet snow occurs when the air temperature near the surface is above freezing, causing the snowflakes to partially melt before reaching the surface. This causes the snowflakes to become “sticky.” It’s great snowball making snow.
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- While the bare deciduous trees stand tall in my middle field, young evergreens collect lots of snow on their branches below.
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- Big snowstorms like this one cause a lot of cleanup work, but one can’t deny the beauty of a clean snow covered field – still untouched except for the tiny prints of bird and squirrel feet.
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- Streams are full and look black against the white snow.
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- Drifts create interesting markings on the landscape.
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- And the blueberry bushes on the left look even brighter red against the white snow. A stand of quince is on the right.
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- Here is a view of my long pergola – it will look quite different in a few months when the garden is filled with colorful blooms.
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- Do you know what this is? Buried under nearly three feet of snow is a burlap covered planter.
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- Notice the holes in the burlap. It’s a “Good Thing” I developed to help our avian friends during winter – they love to take cover inside, especially during storms.
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- And can you recognize this area of the farm?
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- It is the center footpath in my Summer House Garden. On both sides are my formal boxwood hedges and shrubs – all protected by strong burlap to keep the snow from splaying the tender branches.
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- The snow stuck to so many of the tree branches. These are my pollarded lindens outside the stable.
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- Pasang is busy removing snow from all the burlap covered boxwood surrounding my herbaceous peonies. A narrow footpath is between the burlap and the fence – covered waist high with snow.
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- And here’s Pete in my trusted Kubota tractor. A Land Pride PR1690 Power Rake is attached to the back and used to rake the snow on the carriage roads and break up any ice. It’s snowing again this morning with more in the forecast. Be careful.
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