EDIS logo

Severe weather

Details

Severe weather Event icon
Event title

United States - A major winter storm is brewing. It’s likely to unleash dangerous ice and snow from the Plains to the East Coast

Event category

Weather - Severe weather

Source

Source link

Severity

High

Event date (UTC)

2026-01-20 19:43:30

Last update (UTC)

2026-01-31 16:49:13

Latitude

39.252583

Longitude

-85.296

Area range

Multiple states / regions wide event

Address/Affected area(s)

rom the Plains to the East Coast

Even a quarter- to half-inch thick coating of ice is enough to bring down trees and power lines. Portions of the South from northern and eastern Texas into the lower-Mississippi Valley, northern Georgia and parts of the Carolinas are at greatest risk for significant icing based on the current forecast. Travel could be brought to a standstill across major cities even with smaller amounts of ice.
To the north of the storm’s ice zone, snow totals will likely top half a foot over an area that could stretch from Oklahoma to the mid-Atlantic.
Snow and some ice will likely break out from northern Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas to the lower-Mississippi Valley on Friday and Friday night. From there, the sprawling wintry mess of snow, sleet and freezing rain will impact much of the South, mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys and the mid-Atlantic this weekend.
Snow could last into Monday along parts of the East Coast, depending on how long the storm takes to finally exit out to sea.
However, the track of this storm and how it interacts with the blast of cold air is still somewhat uncertain and that will make a big difference when it comes to snow and ice totals in any one location. Those details will come into better focus over the next couple of days.
One thing that’s for certain: Brutal cold is on the way for millions, and any snow and ice that accumulates will not melt quickly. That means any impacts could last into early next week for areas that see significant snow and ice totals.

Coldest air of winter inbound
The Arctic invasion that will feed this winter storm arrives in the Midwest and Plains Thursday into Friday and will then spread into the South and East this weekend. Dozens of locations could approach their coldest daily high temperatures on record, especially on Saturday.
Temperatures will be around 30 degrees below average by Friday in parts of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Illinois. That’s significant since mid-to-late January is when average temperatures are already at their lowest level for many locations east of the Rockies.
Thermometers in the Twin Cities will likely remain below zero all day on Friday and lows both that morning and Saturday might bottom out near minus 20 degrees. Chicago could see at least two consecutive mornings with subzero low temperatures.
Dangerously cold wind chills are also expected. The upper Midwest will see them fall between 30 and 50 degrees below zero. Frostbite on exposed skin can occur in as little as 10 minutes when wind chills are this cold.
The worst of the cold will push into parts of the South while also spreading into the Northeast on Saturday, plunging thermometers as much as 15 to 30 degrees colder than average. Highs in Boston and New York might not rise out of the teens and Dallas-Fort Worth is likely to stay below the freezing mark.
All of this sprawling Arctic air is notorious for feeding big winter storms, including deep into the South, and this one appears to be no different.
The-CNN-Wire

See on map

Location

Related events

Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-31 16:49:13

  • Event title: United States - Snow and blizzards move into US east coast as 85 dead from last week’s storm
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-31 05:46:48

  • Event title: United States - Powerful storm threatens East Coast including parts unaccustomed to heavy snow
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-30 17:23:55

  • Event title: United States - Tens of thousands enter 6th day without power as Carolinas and Virginia prep for a winter storm
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-30 06:33:29

  • Event title: United States - Hypothermia risks increase in Mississippi and Tennessee with next wave of frigid temperatures
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-28 06:31:55

  • Event title: United States - At least 28 people die in US winter storm
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-27 06:05:00

  • Event title: United States - Power out for hundreds of thousands, roadways snarled with ice and snow after deadly storm
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-26 16:51:34

  • Event title: United States - Hundreds of thousands without power as US winter storm starts to wind down
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-26 07:39:07

  • Event title: United States - Power out for hundreds of thousands, roadways snarled with ice and snow from dangerous winter storm
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-25 20:39:09

  • Event title: United States - Winter storm live updates: Heavy snow and crippling ice spread across U.S.; at least 24 states issue emergency declarations
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-25 17:16:59

  • Event title: United States - Flights canceled, states of emergency declared as winter storm bears down
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-24 12:26:22

  • Event title: United States - Shoppers Empty Grocery Store Shelves Ahead of Massive Winter Storm
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-24 12:00:34

  • Event title: United States - Over 8,000 flights canceled as major winter storm bears down across much of the US
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-23 17:07:35

  • Event title: United States - Ice storm warnings in effect across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details
Severe weather Event icon
Severe weather

2026-01-22 19:33:15

  • Event title: United States - Massive winter storm expected to bury much of US in snow and ice
  • Last update (UTC): 2026-01-31 16:49:13
  • Latitude: 39.252583
  • Longitude: -85.296
  • Severity:
    High
  • Details