But early on February 16, lots of snow started falling in those two cities, and the snow started in Philadelphia. Heavy snow kept coming, falling very fast. It was also very cold, so the snow kept piling up. The heavy snow continued all day, and it reached New York City in the evening. At about the same time, the snow changed to sleet in Washington, D.C., and that's why the city got less snow than other cities. In the rest of the Northeast, however, the snow stayed for much of the night. The sleet changed back to snow by the next morning in Washington, D.C., and soon ended. Blizzard Warnings were given in New York City and Boston, and the snow began in Boston that day. In the evening, the heavy snow ended in New York City, and it ended in Boston on the morning of February 18. After that, the storm weakened and brought a few inches of snow to other parts of New England.