Snow and ice conditions in Cabarrus County halted traffic on I-85 for approximately six hours on January 31, 2026, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded. Authorities confirmed there were no serious injuries, and the highway was reopened after extensive rescue and clearing operations.
A powerful winter storm underwent rapid intensification along the East Coast from January 30 to February 1, 2026, bringing historic snow to the Carolinas and deep winter cold across much of the eastern United States. The nor’easter disrupted travel, caused power outages, and extended freezing conditions into Georgia and Alabama.
Record-breaking cold affected nearly all of Florida at dawn on February 1, 2026, when minimum temperatures fell to between −5 and −3°C (26–23°F) across central and eastern regions. The National Weather Service Melbourne Office reported that daily records were broken or tied at all of their official climate observation sites, including Orlando, Daytona Beach, Sanford, Melbourne, Vero Beach, and Fort Pierce.
Dense fog covering California’s Central Valley early on January 31, 2026, led to a 59-vehicle crash on Highway 99 in Tulare County, closing the main north–south route for about six hours. Emergency crews treated 10 injured drivers and passengers while removing wreckage from the fog-covered roadway.
A powerful nor’easter is forecast to impact the U.S. Southeast coast late on January 30, 2026, bringing heavy snow to the Carolinas and Virginia, with accumulations reaching up to 30 cm (12 inches), along with strong winds and coastal flooding persisting through February 2.
Up to 115 fatalities have been reported across more than 20 states in the U.S. after a historic winter storm swept through the eastern two-thirds of the country between January 24 and 26, 2026. The storm is now the deadliest since the 2021 Texas power crisis, when multiple storms claimed nearly 250 lives across the country, and has surpassed the death toll of the 2022 Buffalo Blizzard of the Century.
Boston remains under a cold weather advisory through Saturday, January 31, 2026, as bitter cold and hazardous wind chills persist following a major winter storm that dropped about 58 cm (23 inches) of snow, placing it among the city’s top 10 snowfall totals on record.
A surge of Arctic air will spread across the central and eastern United States from Friday, January 30, 2026, bringing the longest duration of cold in several decades to parts of the region. Forecast confidence has increased for a winter storm to develop along the East Coast over the weekend, with the highest likelihood of heavy snowfall across the Carolinas and southern Virginia, and gusty coastal winds extending into the Mid-Atlantic.
A powerful coastal storm is forecast to affect parts of the eastern United States over the coming weekend. The system is forecast to develop off the Southeast Coast on Saturday, January 31, 2026, and track northeastward through Sunday, February 1, bringing the potential for heavy snow, gusty winds, and hazardous travel conditions across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
Life-threatening cold and wind chills are forecast to continue across the eastern half of the Lower 48 during the final week of January into early February. Another surge of Arctic air is forecast to spread from the Plains into the East and Southeast between Friday and Saturday, January 30–31, bringing a renewed threat of additional record low temperatures, including across parts of Florida.
