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New Winter Storm Threatens East Coast Nor’easter After Massive Nationwide Blizzard

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Widespread wintry mix blankets 40 % of the United States By Sunday night a single system produced snow, sleet and freezing rain across roughly two‑fifths of the country, placing 213 million people under winter‑weather advisories and prompting the National Weather Service to warn of an ice band from east Texas to North Carolina that could cause damage comparable to a hurricane[3][4]. Snowfall ranged from a few inches in Dallas to 31 inches at Bonito Lake, Texas, while the Plains and Rockies saw up to 23 inches of snow[3][4]. The storm’s reach extended from the Southwest to New England, triggering travel chaos, school closures and hundreds of thousands of power outages[5][6].

Ice accumulations and snow totals set regional records The most severe ice threat stretched from Mississippi through western North Carolina and Georgia, where forecasts called for up to an inch of glaze that can snap trees and down power lines[11][9]. Snowfall peaked at 22‑31 inches in the High Plains and Rockies, while western Pennsylvania was slated for 10‑17 inches, the highest of the storm[14][16]. The I‑95 corridor from Washington to Boston faced foot‑deep snow, raising concerns for major highway disruptions[15].

Federal and state officials mobilize emergency resources President Trump approved emergency declarations for at least a dozen states, enabling FEMA to pre‑position millions of meals, blankets and generators, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem labeled the event the largest multi‑state storm in decades[5][8]. Power‑outage trackers reported hundreds of thousands without electricity, prompting utility crews to deploy thousands of extra workers, especially in Texas where officials vowed to avoid a repeat of the 2021 grid failure[5][8]. Governors across the South and Midwest activated National Guard units, treated roads with brine and urged residents to limit travel[12][13].

Arctic air drives historic cold and dangerous wind chills A deep trough of Arctic air produced wind chills below ‑40 °F across the Midwest and as low as ‑49 °F in northern New York, with some locations in Minnesota and North Dakota forecast to feel ‑50 °F[5][20]. These temperatures threaten frostbite within minutes and compound the hazards of ice accumulation on power lines and roads[6][12]. Record‑low readings were reported in Watertown, New York (‑34 °F) and Copenhagen, NY (‑49 °F), among the coldest ever recorded for the region[5].

AccuWeather warns of possible rapid intensification into a nor’easter Meteorologists identified two tracks for the developing system: a Gulf‑Coast‑only path that would limit snow to the Carolinas, and a faster‑intensifying scenario that could evolve into a classic nor’easter delivering heavy snow from the Mid‑Atlantic to New England and stronger winds[1]. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center posted an early warning on X, emphasizing that the storm’s exact track remains uncertain and urging the public to monitor updates[1]. If the “bad news” scenario materializes, the East Coast could face a second major winter event just days after the earlier blizzard.

Clipper storms to add snow to 14 states after Fern A series of low‑pressure clipper systems is expected to move through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and the Northeast through Tuesday, adding 1‑6 inches of lake‑effect snow to western Michigan and central New York[2]. The region remains below freezing, limiting melt and creating refreeze hazards that will prolong travel and safety concerns[2]. Although smaller than the January blizzard, these systems will still produce hazardous wind gusts and patchy accumulations across the affected states[2].

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Timeline

Dec 11, 2025 – The National Weather Service issues winter‑storm warnings for 13 states spanning the Plains to the Northeast, forecasting up to 5 inches of snow in Buffalo and severe icing that could disrupt aviation in the Upper Midwest [14].

Dec 22, 2025 – NWS offices across the Northeast post winter‑weather advisories and a storm‑watch ahead of Christmas, warning that light snow will transition to a wintry mix with possible freezing rain that could impair holiday travel [13].

Jan 1, 2026 – Six‑state winter‑storm warnings go into effect for the Appalachians to the Northeast; forecasters project up to 4 feet of snow in lake‑effect bands, near‑zero visibility, and widespread power‑outage risk, prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul to urge residents to avoid non‑essential travel [12].

Jan 20, 2026 – Meteorologists describe a “widespread potentially catastrophic event from Texas to the Carolinas” as an Arctic air mass collides with Gulf moisture, forecasting a mix of rain, snow, freezing rain and sleet that could blanket more than 200 million people with sub‑20 °F temperatures and threaten I‑20/I‑40 corridors [19, 24, 28].

Jan 21, 2026 – The Weather Prediction Center warns that Texas faces its first substantial winter‑weather event of the season, with up to 8 inches of snow and 0.5 inch of ice in East Texas and wind chills in the single‑digit °F range; the agency updates the forecast northward, expanding the storm’s footprint from the Southern Rockies to the East Coast [10, 11].

Jan 22, 2026 – A massive system, later dubbed Winter Storm Fern, spreads from the Southern Rockies to the Northeast, delivering 6‑12 inches of snow, damaging ice, and record‑cold temperatures; emergency declarations activate in at least ten states, and power‑outage tracking shows hundreds of thousands without electricity [1, 2, 3, 8, 16].

Jan 22, 2026 – The Weather Prediction Center notes that the Arctic blast could push dozens of locations to break daily‑high and low records, with wind chills as low as –50 °F in Minnesota and North Dakota, while the storm’s ice threat looms over major Southern cities [3, 18].

Jan 23, 2026 – WCNC chief meteorologist Brad Panovich posts on X that the approaching ice event is “not a ‘fun snow day’,” urging residents to charge devices, stock food and water, and stay off roads as up to one inch of ice threatens the Carolinas and North Carolina [6].

Jan 23, 2026 – FEMA announces emergency declarations for a dozen states after the storm blankets roughly 2,000 miles from New Mexico to New England, with record sub‑zero readings (‑49 °F in Copenhagen, NY) and hundreds of thousands of power outages [15].

Jan 23, 2026 – The Winter Storm Severity Index (WSSI) flags the South—especially Mississippi, western North Carolina and Georgia—as facing “very high” ice impacts once accumulation exceeds half an inch, highlighting major hazards along I‑20 and I‑30 [21, 26].

Jan 23, 2026 – The Weather Prediction Center warns that the storm’s ice band from east Texas to North Carolina could cause damage “rival[ing] that of a hurricane,” prompting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to call it “the largest storm we’ve seen impact the most states in possibly decades” [20, 15].

Jan 24, 2026 – The National Weather Service releases two travel advisories urging millions to avoid driving as heavy snow (9‑13 inches in Missouri and surrounding areas) and up to an inch of ice threaten the Central U.S. to the Northeast, with power‑reliability risks emphasized [7].

Jan 25, 2026 – Power‑outage trackers show hundreds of thousands without electricity as the storm continues; flight‑tracking data record roughly 12,000 canceled flights and 20,000 delayed, while snow totals exceed a foot in parts of the Mid‑Atlantic and New England [15, 20, 25].

Jan 26, 2026 – AccuWeather outlines two possible tracks for a developing system: one could stay offshore along the Gulf Coast, sparing many regions still recovering from Fern, while a faster‑intensifying scenario could spawn a nor’easter delivering heavy snow from the Mid‑Atlantic to New England and “below‑zero wind chills as far south as the Gulf Coast” [4].

Jan 26, 2026 – A series of clipper low‑pressure systems follows Fern, bringing additional 1‑6 inches of snow to the Upper Midwest and New England through Tuesday, while freezing temperatures linger and the Climate Prediction Center forecasts below‑average warmth into early February [5].

Jan 27, 2026 – The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center posts an early warning that the potential nor’easter could intensify quickly, with meteorologists like Paul Pastelok noting that the speed of intensification will determine the final track, and Dylan Federico describing the accompanying cold as “the real deal” [4].

Historical context: The 2021 Texas grid collapse informs current Texas preparations; Brad Panovich compares the ice threat to the 2002 ice storm, and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves references the 1994 ice storm as the worst since that event [6, 15].

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