Chincoteague Island, Virginia – Video filmed by X user Mark Saxby shows raw handheld footage captured around 9:47 p.m. EST on February 22, 2026, as the strengthening nor’easter known as Winter Storm Fern began battering Virginia’s Eastern Shore with blizzard-force winds and heavy, wet snow. About an inch had already accumulated, with warnings calling for 12 to 18 inches in total.

Under streetlights, thick waves of snow whip sideways in gusts reaching 50 mph, cutting visibility down to only a few yards. Parked cars sit coated in fresh powder while distant buildings fade into the haze as flakes strike the lens.

The camera pans across a motel or parking lot area where vehicles stand scattered, red tail lights glowing through the storm. Trees and shrubs bend under the weight of slush as the ground turns slick and white beneath the relentless snowfall.

Tilting upward, the footage captures snow swirling in illuminated halos around lamps, with rooftops and utility poles briefly visible before disappearing again into the whiteout.

At ground level, snow continues piling onto hoods and windshields as wind howls and drives flakes sideways. Residents hunkered down amid the threat of power outages and coastal flooding as blizzard warnings stretched from Fenwick Island to Chincoteague. The storm brought 6 to 12 inches of snow and wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph, causing whiteouts. A structure fire in nearby Atlantic was fought in zero visibility, with no injuries reported, while travel bans and emergency declarations intensified the disruption.

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