Historic Blizzard Forces Boston Globe to Skip Print for First Time Ever

A massive snowstorm forced The Boston Globe to halt printing operations for the first time in its 153-year history. The newspaper's printing facility in Massachusetts was inaccessible due to 32 inches of snow and dangerous winds.

An unprecedented winter storm has forced The Boston Globe to make history in a way it never intended — by suspending print operations for the first time since the newspaper launched in 1872.

Dangerous snow conditions and high winds made it impossible for employees to reach the publication’s printing facility safely, preventing Tuesday’s edition from going to press, according to a report published on the Globe’s digital platform. The newspaper’s printing operation is housed in Taunton, located in Bristol County, Massachusetts, where the National Weather Service recorded 32 inches of snowfall by Monday evening.

The decision highlights how dramatically news consumption has shifted in the digital era. Recent research from the Pew Research Center in 2025 revealed that just 7% of American adults regularly consume news through print publications. In contrast, 56% of adults frequently access news content via smartphones, computers, or tablets.

While this represents the first management-ordered suspension of daily printing in the Globe’s history spanning more than 150 years, work stoppages did occur several times during the 1950s and 1960s due to labor disputes.

The newspaper managed to continue operations during another historic storm almost 50 years ago, producing several thousand copies on February 7, 1978. However, delivery proved nearly impossible as snow accumulation trapped distribution vehicles within just a mile or two of the facility.

This week’s storm established new snowfall records throughout the region, including at Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, which measured nearly 38 inches — surpassing the previous record set in 1978.

Print subscribers will receive Tuesday’s newspaper content with Wednesday’s delivery, the Globe announced.