The Blizzard of '26: Frozen in Time

Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 | Edition #12

GOOD MORNING, WARWICK. I hope this note finds you thawed out after the most blizzardous week since Jimmy Carter was in office — yes, we made that word up, and no, we're not apologizing. Whoever told you that spring was “right around the corner” is a total punk. Monday's storm dumped snow at a rate this city has never seen — piling up past the knees, past the waist, and in some cases past the heads of our shorter neighbors and most of our children. For what is hopefully the last time this winter, we now attempt to dig out, and so far that has proven to be extremely difficult for most of us. I hope you all squeezed in some time for an igloo beer in between your shoveling sessions. The light is at the end of the tunnel… we're just not sure which end of the driveway it's coming from.

Here's what's going on in your neck of the woods (do your best Al Roker impression):

Move over, Blizzard of '78 — there's a new leader in the clubhouse. Monday's historic storm buried Warwick under more than 35 inches, surpassing the legendary blizzard of 1978 and setting a new record for the city of Warwick. Totals across the entire state surged past 30 inches, while wind gusts topped 70 mph in some areas, turning already dangerous conditions into near-whiteout chaos.

Now that the snow has finally stopped falling (knocking on wood with both fists), Warwick’s seasonal snowfall total is approaching 70 inches — the most in over a decade. Impacts are being felt all over town. It might be time for a community-wide field trip to Florida. We’ll find room in the budget — don’t worry, I’ll DM Frank on Facebook to confirm.

If you’ve looked out your front window this week, you already know: the pavement is missing and presumed buried. Three feet of snow blanketed every street in the city, and the DPW has been in a losing battle with it ever since.

Many roads went untouched by plows for days, leaving essential workers stranded and neighbors taking matters into their own hands. Cul-de-sacs across the city were largely forgotten in the initial push, forcing residents to band together with snowblowers to carve their way out themselves. Thousands of Warwick residents also lost power through Tuesday night, as falling trees took down power lines and howling winds compounded the damage. Schools across the state remained closed for most of the week as a result — Warwick Public Schools is closed through today at a minimum.

State officials have been reaching beyond Rhode Island's borders for help. At a RI Emergency Management Agency briefing this week, officials confirmed they were actively requesting heavy equipment from states including Maine, Vermont, and Pennsylvania to accelerate the cleanup. Thanks to the additional heavy equipment, residents have seen relief in most areas; however, there are still plenty of side streets that look less like city roads and more like a deleted scene from The Day After Tomorrow.

Some folks are blaming the city for not being prepared – others are accepting the fact that this was a once-in-a-lifetime weather event… either way, after all this snow we’re all as cranky as a wet cat and we’re begging for spring.

The storm produced some truly jaw-dropping scenes across the city, and you didn't waste any time grabbing your cameras. Below is a selection of the wild photos submitted by subscribers — from buried cars to snow-swallowed streets to neighbors digging out together. Thank you to everyone who shared. These are the kinds of images that remind us just how historic this week really was.

Are you smarter than a Hoxsie School 5th grader? Let's find out.

Q: Warwick has about 39 miles of shoreline along Narragansett Bay — longer than which famous U.S. beach city’s oceanfront?

No che-atGPT-ing. The answer can be found at the end of the newsletter!

The torturous tech that’s taming even the most degenerate of Warwick’s drivers is raking in the dough — Warwick's school zone speed cameras and red light cameras have generated more than $922,000 since enforcement began in 2025, according to a report by the Warwick Beacon. Of that total, roughly $482,000 has gone directly to the city, while the remainder goes to Altumint Inc., the Maryland-based company leasing the cameras to Warwick under a five-year contract. The cameras monitor speeds in school zones and at four key intersections citywide, with fines of $50 for speeding violations and $80 for red light violations. Turns out, people really don't like slowing down near schools — and the city is cashing in on it.

The program has drawn mixed reactions from residents, but police leadership is firmly in the safety camp. Deputy Police Chief Andrew Sullivan told the Beacon that awareness of the cameras is high — people know where they are — yet drivers still don't realize how fast they're going. Looking at the total numbers after expenses paid to Altumint Inc., the City of Warwick has netted nearly $600,000 from the project. Based on that math, we’ll need just about 83 more years of speed cam violations to reach the $50 Million needed to complete the Toll Gate/Pilgrim High School project. Don’t worry, The Warwick Wake Up will be here to report that story in the year 2113. My great-great-grandkids are going to be so hyped to finally have a baseball field to play on!

By the numbers: Scott Elementary leads all locations with 9,194 citations issued, followed by Cedar Hill School with 5,908. On the red light side, the Bald Hill and East Avenue intersection tops the list. About 75% of those cited pay their fines — and for the other 25% who think they can just ignore it, the department has a message: they will find you.

❄️👶🏼 Blizzard Babies — While the rest of Warwick was white-knuckling it through the storm of the century, Women & Infants Hospital was busy welcoming two babies who had absolutely no idea what they were being born into. Twins Liliana and Amelia DiPrete made their grand entrance on Monday, February 23rd, at 8:44 a.m. and 9:06 a.m. respectively — right in the thick of it. Congratulations to the DiPrete family. The girls will have the best blizzard story at every birthday party for the rest of their lives. There may have been just one missed opportunity: naming them Ana & Elsa would have been legendary.

🚨 Pedestrian Struck on Warwick Avenue — A pedestrian was hit by a car on Warwick Avenue Wednesday night just after 8 p.m. near the intersection of Falcon Avenue and Pilgrim Parkway, according to WPRI. The victim was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, suffering injuries to his head & legs. The driver stayed on scene and is cooperating with police. Both northbound and southbound lanes of Warwick Ave. were temporarily shut down while officers investigated. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. (Source: WPRI)

⚡ Rapid Restoration — The plows may have moved at a glacial pace, but Rhode Island Energy was anything but slow. More than 50,000 Rhode Islanders lost power Monday, and despite early warnings that outages could drag into the end of the week, 95% of customers had their lights back on within 48 hours. Mayor Picozzi said it himself — give credit where credit is due. Rhode Island Energy showed up. We'll take the win.

🍕Joe's to the Rescue — While we were debating whether cereal counted as dinner — and whether eating it straight from the box was acceptable, Joe's Pizza on Kilvert Street was firing up the ovens for the people keeping Warwick running. On February 23rd, Joe's opened their doors exclusively for essential workers — plow drivers, utility crews, police, fire, tow truck drivers, you name it — and put out 60–80 free pizzas, donations only, no sales, until they ran out. No press release, no sponsorship, just a local shop doing the right thing. Warwick takes care of its own, and Joe's Pizza made sure everyone knew it.

Trivia Answer👉 E) All of the above

Explanation: Those cities have long straight ocean beaches, but Warwick’s coastline winds through coves, bays, and peninsulas — adding up to far more total shoreline than Naples, FL, Miami Beach, FL, and Santa Monica, CA. Crazy, I know!

That's it for today. Have a tip, a wild snow story, or just need to vent about being trapped indoors with your children for 14 straight days? Hit reply.

Stay safe, Warwick ☕

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