More than 10,000 people were without power Monday as a blizzard pummeled the Island with strong winds and heavy snow.
Eversource reported outages in all six Island towns, with major clusters of more than 4,000 customers without power in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. In total, about 56 per cent of Island Eversource customers were in the dark at the storm's peak, and the utility company said it could take three to five days to get the lights back on.
"The persistent hazardous conditions and difficult travel, as well as the necessary snow removal, will delay crews' ability to safely respond," Eversource wrote to customers.
Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency on Sunday and public safety officials encouraged people to stay off the road due to the near whiteout conditions and chance of downed trees. On Monday afternoon, she enacted a ban on non-essential for Dukes County and other areas in southeastern Massachusetts.
“While the worst of the storm is behind us and much of the state is turning to shoveling out, conditions remain severe and dangerous across southeastern Massachusetts,” she said in a statement. “We need everyone to stay off the roads for their own safety and to allow our crews to do their work – especially in Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties and on the Vineyard.”
Several public safety officials concurred with the governor's instructions.
“Many streets and roads are impassible. Trees are down. Powerlines are down,” the Edgartown police wrote on social media. “Driving is very dangerous. Please stay off the roads unless you have a dire emergency.”
The storm started to drop snow on the Island around 9 p.m. Sunday, and is expected to continue throughout the day on Monday. In all, the National Weather Service has predicted as much as two feet of snow, and said some areas of southeastern Massachusetts could get more than 30 inches.
The storm, one of the strongest in recent years and the second major one in 2026, scuttled transportation services. The Steamship announced Sunday that it would keep all of its ferries at the dock during the storm and the Vineyard Transit Authority also warned that there would be no buses Monday.
Almost all businesses were closed. The hospital remained open throughout the storm, but pushed off all elective surgeries.
There were reports of 7 inches of snow as of Monday morning, and meteorologists expected accumulations of up to two inches per hour. As of 1 p.m., more than a foot had fallen. An official snowfall for the county from the National Weather Service was not provided for the Vineyard.
The weather service did say that it expected the blizzard to be highly destructive due to the combination of the wet, heavy snow and the predicted gusts as high as 75 miles per hour.
As heavy snow and wind continued to pelt the Island into the afternoon, outages climbed to over 4,000 reported customers in Edgartown, and more than 1,700 in Tisbury. More than 90 per cent of Oak Bluffs was without power at one point, though electricity was restored to many by the late afternoon.
More than 7,000 people continued to be in the dark Monday evening as daylight dwindled and snow continued to fall, with an additional inch and a half expected before 10 p.m.
Tisbury fire Chief Patrick Rolston reported a number of medical and fire calls throughout the day, and said the department closed down Beach Road from Five Corners to the drawbridge, cutting off one of the access points to the hospital.
Multiple town officials told the Gazette that the storm was a mess, but first responders were managing the situation. Eversource had restored power to hundreds while state and town highway services have been moving trees out of the roads. Multiple towns are using snowplows to accompany transportation for medical emergencies.
Edgartown police Chief Chris Dolby said there was nothing to report in the morning besides the typical day-to-day medical emergencies.
“It’s treacherous out there,” said Chief Dolby, reiterating the county’s shelter-in-place advisory. “Stay at home. It’s dangerous to be out and about right now.”
The West Tisbury Library is hosting a warming center during the day and Harbor Homes will continue to operate its overnight shelter.
Edgartown opened a warming center Monday night at the Edgartown School to shelter those without heat. Chief Dolby told the Gazette it would stay open as long as necessary until power was restored.
Some residents reported Islanders going above and beyond for each other.
At 39 weeks pregnant, Vineyard Haven resident Jocelyn Paulson said her nerves were running high in the days before the storm. With her and her husband's home at the end of a typically unplowed road, flickering power and old wives tales about winter storms inducing labor, it all felt like a “perfect storm,” Ms. Paulson said.
Town officials told Ms. Paulson Sunday night that if necessary, they would send a snowplow, ambulance and a fire truck to her house. Soon after speaking to the town, someone from the fire department knocked on her door to check out the road and explain the necessary steps.
“It was just so nice, and reassuring,” Ms. Paulson said. “They reassured us that they would be able to get over any hurdles if it came down to it.”
This article appears in February 27, 2026.
My best friend lives in Edgartown, I pray she and everyone is ok