A large and prolonged outbreak of Arctic air is spreading across the United States, prompting extreme cold watches across much of the northern and central United States from Thursday, January 22, 2026, through Friday, January 24. This Arctic outbreak will bring one of the most dangerous cold spells in recent years, with the greatest threat lasting from Thursday night through early Saturday morning.
A major winter storm will bring widespread snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic between Friday, January 23, and Sunday, January 25, 2026.
The impact of a full halo coronal mass ejection (CME) at Earth on January 19, 2026, drove geomagnetic activity to G4 – Severe levels, producing widespread aurora across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
A G4 – Severe solar radiation storm is in progress after ≥10 MeV proton flux exceeded 10 000 pfu at 18:10 UTC on January 19, 2026, following the X1.9 solar flare on January 18. As the associated full-halo coronal mass ejection approaches Earth, forecasters warn that a G4 – Severe geomagnetic storm is likely early on January 20.
A G4 – Severe or greater geomagnetic storm is forecast for early January 20, 2026, as a full-halo coronal mass ejection from the January 18 X1.9 solar flare approaches Earth. If G4 conditions materialize, auroral activity is expected to expand significantly equatorward, with visibility possible as far south as Alabama and northern California.
A long-duration X1.9 solar flare erupted from Active Region 4341 at 18:09 UTC on January 18, 2026. The event began at 17:27 and ended at 18:51 UTC. Coronagraph imagery indicates that a full halo coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced during the eruption. Given the location of the source region on the solar disk, the CME is considered likely to be at least partially Earth-directed, pending further analysis of its speed and magnetic structure.
Severe wildfires affecting Chile’s Ñuble and Biobío regions have killed at least 16 people and burned more than 20 000 ha (49 420 acres) as of January 18, 2026, forcing over 20 000 to evacuate.
A powerful, prolonged snowstorm that began on January 12, 2026, has paralyzed the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, with snow depths reportedly reaching up to 500 cm (16 feet) in some areas. A municipal-level State of Emergency was declared for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky after two people were killed by snow sliding off rooftops on January 15.
More than 200 people have died in weeks of torrential rain and severe flooding across southern Africa, with Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe bearing the worst impacts. The prolonged La Niña pattern has intensified the region’s rainy season, leaving widespread damage to homes, roads, crops and public infrastructure.
A major polar vortex disruption has begun and is forecast to send Arctic air into much of North America and Europe through mid and late January 2026. The event will bring freezing temperatures and winter weather as the vortex weakens following a stratospheric warming episode. A second, stronger outbreak is forecast to occur during the last part of January as the core of the vortex splits into two halves, each driving cold Arctic air into Europe and North America in February.
