Four atmospheric rivers (ARs) are forecast to impact the Pacific Northwest from Tuesday, January 28 through January 31, 2026, bringing several days of moderate to heavy precipitation, with rainfall totals reaching 125–250 mm (5–10 inches) over the Olympic Peninsula and 50–125 mm (2–5 inches) across the Willapa Hills, northern Oregon Coast Ranges, and Washington Cascades.
At least ten people were killed across Japan in late January 2026 as heavy snowfall and repeated cold waves affected wide areas of the country. Sapporo surpassed total accumulations of over 1 m (3.3 feet) for the first time since 2022 on Sunday, January 25, while accumulations at Hakkōda Mountains in Aomori reached around 4.5 m (14.8 feet) by Monday, January 26. More snow and strong winds are forecast along the Sea of Japan coast through this week as a cold air mass intensifies.
A major winter storm swept across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. over the weekend, claiming at least 24 lives as of Monday, January 26, 2026. Over a million customers, roughly 2.5 million people, were left without power as snowstorms hit the northern and northeastern regions, while freezing rain and ice storms wreaked havoc in the south. States of emergency have been declared across multiple regions as the storm’s impacts linger.
Meteorological forecasts show a major sudden stratospheric warming event forming over the Arctic, likely to cause significant weakening of the polar vortex in early February 2026. The resulting atmospheric disruption may alter jet-stream dynamics and increase the risk of Arctic air intrusions into North America and northern Europe during the second half of February.
Severe geomagnetic storm on January 19, 2026, generated a rare auroral glow inside the South Atlantic Anomaly, a region where Earth’s magnetic field is significantly weaker. Photographers in Brazil captured a diffuse purple band over Cambará do Sul during peak geomagnetic activity, documenting the latest in rare instances of possible auroral or SAR arc activity within the anomaly.
A potentially historic winter storm associated with the Polar Vortex is forecast to bring heavy snow, freezing rain, and dangerous cold across much of the United States from January 23 to 26, 2026. The system is expected to cause widespread travel disruptions, power outages, and hazardous conditions from Texas to the Northeast, with more than 200 million people under various National Weather Service warnings and watches.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warns of catastrophic ice accumulation from the Southern Plains to the Southeast as a major winter storm develops and tracks northeastward from January 23 to 26, 2026. The storm is forecast to produce widespread freezing rain, heavy snow, and dangerously cold temperatures, threatening critical infrastructure and travel across much of the eastern United States.
Ice storm warnings are in effect for parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia between January 24 and 26, 2026. Ice accumulations of 6 mm to 25 mm (0.25 to 1 inch) and wind gusts up to 30 mph (48 km/h) are forecast across the regions. The combination of freezing rain, sleet, and gusty winds is expected to cause widespread power outages, tree damage, and extremely hazardous travel conditions.
Extreme cold warnings and watches were issued across large parts of the central and northern United States on Thursday, January 22, 2026, as a deep Arctic air mass spread southward, producing wind chills as low as −48°C (−55°F).
A major long-duration winter storm is forecast to affect large portions of the central and eastern United States starting Friday, January 23, 2026, with confidence increasing in damaging ice accumulations across parts of the South. Heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain are expected from the southern Rockies and Plains into the Mid-South, with the system spreading east into the Mid-Atlantic and New England through the weekend.
