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Source: https://www.brown.edu/news/2026-02-25/historic-blizzard Parent: https://www.brown.edu/news
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February 25, 2026 2026-02-25
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Amanda McGregor\ [email protected]\ 401-863-1008
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Photos: Historic ‘Blizzard of 2026’ arrives at Brown
The Brown University campus continues to dig out from record-breaking snowfall that blanketed Providence in more than three feet of snow during a late-February blizzard.
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Brown was blanketed in a historic 37.9 inches of snow during a record-setting blizzard in late February. Photos by Nick Dentamaro/Brown University
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The “Blizzard of 2026” was the largest blizzard in Rhode Island history, surpassing the long-standing record for the greatest single snowstorm of record set by the Blizzard of 1978.
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As blizzard conditions abated, many students headed out into the winter wonderland and crafted snow sculptures on campus.
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A group of undergraduates used recycling buckets to compress snow into round bricks to create an igloo, which took nearly seven hours to build, according to sophomore Sam Marcus (right).
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A bench outside the Hope College residence hall is barely visible above the snowbanks.
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The Brown University campus continues to dig out from the record-breaking snowfall.
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The blizzard conditions created giant snow drifts, like this one by the Van Wickle Gates.
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The cold temperatures and record-setting snow didn’t stop some people from enjoying outdoor spaces on campus after the blizzard.
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During the blizzard on Monday, high winds coated trees and buildings in snow, including the Van Wickle Gates on Brown's campus. Photo by Sam Marcus
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During the blizzard on Monday, high winds coated trees and buildings in snow, including the “Bronze Bruno” statue that looks out over the College Green. Photo by Sam Marcus
PROVIDENCE, R.I.[Brown University] — Brown was blanketed in a historic 37.9 inches of snow during a record-setting blizzard on Monday, Feb. 23.
The largest blizzard in Rhode Island history, it surpassed the long-standing record for the greatest single snowstorm of record set by the Blizzard of 1978, which dropped 28.6 inches of snow in Providence, according to the National Weather Service.
Brown sophomore Samuel Marcus, who is from Storrs, Connecticut, donned his ski goggles and snow pants to venture across campus during the blizzard on Monday, wading through snow drifts “ranging from knee-high to above my waist,” he marveled.
Another undergraduate — Alexa Theodoropoulos, a junior from the Philippines — told the New York Times she had never seen so much snow: “It felt like we were in ‘Frozen,’” she said.
University offices were closed Feb. 23-24, as facilities and grounds crews worked continuously to clear walkways, parking areas and more. As blizzard conditions abated, many students headed out into the winter wonderland to frolic and craft snow sculptures on campus, including Marcus and a group of friends who spent hours building an igloo on the College Green.
“It was really nice to see different people’s reaction to [the igloo] — many people told us how cool they thought it was, and it was nice to see that something we made could bring joy to other people on campus,” said first-year student Lynden Auckly, who is from Manhattan, Kansas. “This was certainly a lot more snow than anything I am used to.”
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Campus brimmed with activity on Tuesday as people headed outdoors to enjoy the record snowfall.
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Students walked on campus the day after the blizzard.
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(Left to right) Sam Marcus, Marika Solomon Marcy and Lynden Auckly built an igloo on the College Green with Grace Hong, Lasya Namilae and Teddy Schwartz, who are not pictured.
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“It was the perfect way to spend the day,” first-year student Marika Solomon Marcy (left) said of making an igloo. “Hanging out with friends, puzzling over how to make the igloo stay up — honestly, I still don’t know how we managed to build the entrance — and getting some much-needed vitamin D.”
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University offices were closed Feb. 23-24, as facilities and grounds crews worked continuously to clear walkways, parking areas and more.
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Students enjoyed the snow on Simmons Quadrangle near Soldiers Memorial Arch.
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More than three feet of snow blanketed Providence during the blizzard.
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“This was certainly a lot more snow than anything I am used to,” said first-year student Lynden Auckly, who is from Manhattan, Kansas. In this photo, the Van Wickle Gates are frosted in snow.
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The historic ‘Blizzard of 2026’ fully covered the Brown campus.
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