Kevin Schneider

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<p>The snow that fell in the south has barely melted and we're already moving onto the next chance? You're probably already seeing people on social media posting about the threat, so let's talk about it.</p><h1>SETUP</h1><p>Air that's normally locked up around the poles looks to break off from the region. From there, it will slide southward, invading the southern states. Sub-freezing temperatures will settle in behind this Arctic front, potentially as early as Friday. At the same time, a disturbance will roll onshore from Baja California, providing the lift and moisture needed to cause problems.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Web1-1768905366696.png"></p><h1>TIMING</h1><p>This is where we could see the trickiest part of the forecast, not named precipitation type. Models have been a little all over the place, pushing the cold air in, with some as early as Friday afternoon. If that pans out, the Friday evening's commute could be in some trouble. Saturday feels like a safer bet to see trouble, especially in the morning.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-20 03-36-25-1768905407697.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>UNCERTAINTY</h1><p>There's a lot riding on when the front moves in. The overall picture of what looks to be shaping up is fairly consistent. Rain turning into freezing rain before becoming sleet and snow seems to make the most sense, given how the setup looks.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-19 080851-1768835338441.jpg"></p><h1>WHAT YOU SHOULD DO</h1><p>With this likely not moving in until at least Friday afternoon, there's plenty of time to prepare. Know what your plans are on Friday and if they're negotiable. This far out, we still only look at forecast trends, before honing in on specific totals. Make sure you stay tuned to WeatherNation for all the latest info on what you can expect towards the end of this week.</p>

Snow & Ice Threaten the South This Weekend

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Adrian Hernandez

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<p>During the winter months, many of us are no stranger to chilly temps and downright unbearable cold. However, Mother Nature often times likes to bend the rules a bit. A weakening polar vortex is likely to spell trouble for the High Plains late this week. What is the polar vortex? You can think of it as a permanent area of low pressure that stays at the Earth's poles! A strong polar vortex does a good job of keeping that arctic air where it needs to be. However, during the winter months, a weak polar vortex can allow some of that air to sink into the U.S.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web1-1768833952146.png"></p><p>This polar air will have some pretty hefty impacts across the High Plains. Thermometers will read values well below zero, but once you factor in that wind, the wind chill will take you down to 30 below zero in places like the Twin Cities, and Bismarck. But it gets worse, lets say you find yourself in northern Minnesota. Roseau could see wind chill values as low as 53 degrees below zero! Downright dangerous cold!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-19 193150-1768876323688.png"></p><p>These temperatures will also seep into the northeast, bringing wind chill values out in New York City down to 6 degrees below zero Sunday morning!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-19 153743-1768862269087.png"></p><p>Reminder to keep yourself bundled up to the max headed into the late week! Frostbite can occur in mere minutes when the wind chill values get below -42 degrees! It's important to limit your skin exposure to the elements during this time as well!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web8-1768835305901.png"></p><p>Make sure you stay tuned to WeatherNation for the latest on these temperatures, and how we can keep YOU safe through these frigid temperatures!</p>

Dangerously Cold Temps Spill Into the Lower 48 Late This Week

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Alana Cameron was born and raised in Canada in the city of Mississauga, just outside of Toronto. Alana is the oldest of 4 siblings, all close in age, and grew up playing outside with them in all types of weather. After graduating high school, Alana moved to study at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna for a year before transferring to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she completed a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Atmospheric Science. Upon completion, Alana moved back to Toronto where she completed a post-grad degree in Meteorology at York University. After her post-grad, she went on to complete another post-grad in Broadcast Journalism - TV News at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. During her final year of studies she had the privilege of interning with the best in the business in Canada at The Weather Network. Once she finished her internship, she got the call from small-town Denison, Texas where she accepted a job as an on-air meteorologist at KTEN-TV, right in tornado alley, covering severe weather from Sherman/Denison (North Texas) to Ada (Southern Oklahoma). After the most active tornado season Oklahoma had seen in May 2019 (105 tornadoes!) Alana is excited to join WeatherNation to cover weather all across the nation. If you're interested in following her on social media she can be found @alanacameronwx!

Alana Cameron

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<p><strong>MICHIGAN - </strong>Just after 10:00 Monday morning (January 19, 2026), a 100+ car pileup was reported between Hudsonville and Zeeland, Michigan, on I-196 due to the wintry roads. Numerous injuries and a complete shutdown of the area have been a result of this incident. The footage above shows the state of the area late morning/midday. The closest weather observation site in Holland, West Michigan Regional Airport, reported visibility down to 0.25 miles, west winds of 18 mph with gusts of 35 mph at 9:53 am Monday.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-19 122754-1768852540892.png"></p><p>The road conditions were snow-covered due to lake effect snow bands coming off of Lake Michigan, and many areas across the Great Lakes remain under <strong>winter weather alerts</strong> through Wednesday due to additional lake effect bands in the area. Arctic cold air moving over unfrozen waters can result in lake effect snow, and lots of it at that.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-20 062550-1768915558446.jpg"></p><p>The system working through tonight will bring another shot of cold air, flowing over the not-completely-frozen Great Lakes, which will keep that lake effect snow machine turned on.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-20 03-29-18-1768904988836.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>As we head through the week, the orientation of the winds will be parallel to Lakes Erie and Ontario, bringing heavy and steady snow bands to the favored areas downwind, including Buffalo and Watertown, where the highest snowfall totals are expected.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Web3-1768905019013.png"></p><p>This will lead to some Winter Storm Impacts across the Great Lakes. Specifically, those in Buffalo and Watertown, NY could see moderate to even major winter storm impacts over the next few days. These areas are where the heaviest of the snow is expected to be. Tune in to WeatherNation :10 past the hour for your full Eastern Regional Forecast.</p>

Lake-Effect Snow Causes 100+ Car Pileup in Michigan

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WeatherNation Meteorologists

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<h1><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202513">COURTESY: NCEI <strong><span>Assessing the U.S. Temperature and Precipitation Analysis in 2025</span></strong></a></h1><h2><strong>Annual Key Points:</strong></h2><ul><li><p>For the first time since 2015, no hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. or its territories during 2025.</p></li><li><p>The tornado in Enderlin, North Dakota, was the first verified EF-5 since 2013.</p></li><li><p>The Eaton and Palisades Fires were the second- and third-most destructive California wildfires on record, respectively.</p></li><li><p>The Texas Hill Country experienced a 1-in-100- to 1-in-1,000-year flood event that killed at least 135 people after nearly two feet of rain fell in just a few days.</p></li><li><p>Utah and Nevada set new annual temperature records, with Utah eclipsing its previous record that had stood since 1934.</p></li></ul><p><em><img src="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/Notable-Weathe-Climate-US-132025_Final_2.png" alt="Map of the U.S. showing locations of notable weather and climate events in 2025 with text describing each event and title at top stating “Notable Weather and Climate Events: 2025”. " title="Map of the U.S. showing locations of notable weather and climate events in 2025 with text describing each event and title at top stating “Notable Weather and Climate Events: 2025”. ">Map of the U.S. notable weather and climate events in 2025.</em></p><h2><strong>Other Highlights:</strong></h2><h3><strong>Temperature</strong></h3><p>Annual temperatures across the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) averaged 54.6°F in 2025, which was 2.6°F above the 20th-century average and ranked as the fourth-warmest year in the 131-year record. Temperatures were above average nationwide, with the most pronounced warmth across the western third of the country. Averaged across the entire region from the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/reference-maps/rockies-and-westward"><u>West Coast through the Rocky Mountains</u></a>, this area recorded its warmest annual temperature on record.</p><p><em><img src="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/grid-ranks-tavg-202501-202512_0.png" alt="Map of the U.S. showing temperature percentiles for 2025 with warmer areas in gradients of red and cooler areas in gradients of blue. (Courtesy of NOAA NCEI.)" title="Map of the U.S. showing temperature percentiles for 2025 with warmer areas in gradients of red and cooler areas in gradients of blue. (Courtesy of NOAA NCEI.)"></em></p><p><em>Map of the U.S. Mean Temperature Percentiles in 2025.</em></p><p>Based on average annual temperatures across <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/reference-maps/"><u>NOAA climate regions</u></a>, the Southwest saw its warmest year on record; the West and Northwest both ranked third warmest, and the South tied for its fourth-warmest year. Statewide, Utah and Nevada recorded their warmest years on record at 4.3°F and 3.7°F above their 20th-century averages, respectively. In total, a dozen states experienced one of their four warmest years. At the county level, 62 counties across 10 states—more than eight million people—recorded their warmest year on record.</p><p>Annual temperatures in Alaska averaged 29.5°F, 3.5°F above the 1925–2000 average, ranking as the ninth warmest in the 101-year record. Much-above-average temperatures persisted through most of the year, producing the third-warmest January–November statewide, though a notably cold December lowered the annual ranking.</p><p>Hawaiʻi recorded an average annual temperature of 67.0°F, 0.7°F above the 1991–2020 average, placing the year within the warmest third of the 35-year record.</p><h3><strong>Precipitation&nbsp;</strong></h3><p>The CONUS received an average of 29.19 inches of precipitation in 2025, 0.73 inch below the 20th-century average, placing the year in the driest third of the 131-year record. The annual average does not fully reflect some of the pronounced regional wet and dry patterns seen throughout the year: the western U.S. experienced drier-than-average conditions in the first half of the year, followed by wetter-than-average conditions late in the year, while central and eastern regions generally saw above-average precipitation in spring and early summer, then below-average totals in the fall.&nbsp;</p><p><em><img src="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/grid-ranks-prcp-202501-202512_0.png" alt="Map of the U.S. showing precipitation percentiles for 2025 with wetter areas in gradients of green and drier areas in gradients of brown. (Courtesy of NOAA NCEI)" title="Map of the U.S. showing precipitation percentiles for 2025 with wetter areas in gradients of green and drier areas in gradients of brown. (Courtesy of NOAA NCEI)"></em></p><p><em>Map of the U.S. Total Precipitation Percentiles in 2025.</em></p><p>Much of the Southwest and Southeast ended the year below average, with deficits exceeding one foot in parts of the Southeast, while the central and northern Plains, along with the western Ohio Valley, were wetter than average. Kentucky had its 10th-wettest year on record, with over a third of its counties receiving more than a foot above their average annual rainfall.</p><p>Alaska received 39.72 inches of precipitation in 2025, 3.02 inches above average, placing the year within the wettest third of the 101-year record. Hawaiʻi recorded a total of 41.96 inches, 19.77 inches below average for the state, or about 68 percent of normal (1991–2020), marking its third-driest year in the 35-year record.</p><h3><strong>Tropical Cyclones</strong></h3><p>Despite the lack of U.S. landfalls in 2025, the North Atlantic hurricane season was active, producing 13 named storms, including five hurricanes and four major hurricanes; this amount was near the long-term average. The season was particularly notable for three Category 5 hurricanes—Erin, Humberto and Melissa—the second-most to form in a single year. While Erin and Humberto remained offshore, Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Jamaica at peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph—tying with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane as the strongest landfall on record in the Atlantic Basin and ranking as the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2025. Although no direct landfalls occurred, remnants of tropical systems—including Super Typhoon Halong (Alaska) and Hurricane Priscilla (Southwest)—brought flooding impacts to the U.S. late in the year.</p><h3><strong>Floods</strong></h3><p>2025 was characterized by widespread and significant flooding, driven by a combination of atmospheric rivers, slow-moving convective systems and tropical moisture. Significant flood events were observed in every season and region; July alone recorded 1,434 flash flood warnings from the National Weather Service—the second-highest July total in 40 years. Several historic precipitation events overwhelmed infrastructure, producing 1-in-1,000-year rainfall recurrence intervals in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Texas. These events resulted in significant loss of life; catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country in July resulted in at least 135 fatalities, while recurring storms in the Ohio Valley and severe weather across the South contributed to dozens of additional fatalities throughout the year.</p><p>The year featured stark regional extremes, beginning and ending with strong atmospheric rivers that impacted the West Coast; notable events in February, November and December caused widespread damage and fatalities in California and the Pacific Northwest. In the interior, stalled spring fronts produced historic rainfall across the Lower Ohio Valley, while summer saw a shift to the Northeast, where record-breaking rainfall rates inundated the New York City metro area. Unique hydrological extremes also marked the year, including a record-breaking glacial outburst flood in Alaska, tsunami-induced flooding in Hawaiʻi and deadly flash floods over wildfire burn scars in New Mexico.</p><h3><strong>Tornadoes</strong></h3><p>The preliminary U.S. tornado count for 2025 was 1,559, ranking as the fifth-highest on record and 127 percent of the 30-year (1991–2020) average. The year was marked by several notable extremes, including 300 preliminary tornado reports in March—a new March record—more than three times average. In addition to the Enderlin EF-5 tornado, five EF-4 tornadoes occurred in Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois and Kentucky. At the state level, North Dakota shattered its previous annual tornado record of 61 (set in 2010), with 72 tornado reports in 2025.</p><h3><strong>Wildfires</strong></h3><p>The number of wildfires in 2025 was approximately 105 percent of the 20-year (2001–20) average, with more than 72,000 wildfires reported. The total number of acres burned from these wildfires—5.0 million acres—was 72 percent of the 20-year average of nearly seven million acres.</p><p>Southern California experienced some of the year’s most destructive fires. Fueled by Santa Ana winds gusting up to 90 miles per hour and dry conditions, the Eaton Fire burned 14,000 acres, while the Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres and was the most destructive wildfire on record for Los Angeles. Together, these fires damaged or destroyed over 18,000 structures during January and were responsible for 31 fatalities. Later in the year, the Gifford Fire became the largest wildfire for California in 2025, burning over 131,000 acres across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties in August.</p><p>In Arizona, the Dragon Bravo Fire burned more than 145,000 acres between July and September, making it the largest wildfire of the year in the U.S. and the 10th-largest in Arizona history.</p><p>Alaska had a below-average 2025 wildfire season, with approximately one million acres burned—about two-thirds of the state’s 20-year (2001–20) average.</p><h3><strong>Drought</strong></h3><p>The drought footprint across the CONUS experienced marked fluctuations during 2025, following a distinct pattern of spring expansion, early summer contraction and autumn resurgence. The year began with 38.1 percent of the lower 48 states in moderate to exceptional drought (D1–D4). Coverage expanded steadily through March, reaching a spring peak of 44.7 percent on March 25. Widespread precipitation then drove a substantial decline, with drought coverage falling to its annual minimum of 29.6 percent by June 3. However, this improvement was short-lived. Drought conditions intensified during late summer and autumn, with coverage increasing rapidly to a yearly maximum of 46.1 percent on October 21 and again on November 18. By the final week of the year (December 30), drought coverage had eased slightly but remained elevated at 42.8 percent, leaving a larger portion of the country in drought than at the start of 2025.</p><h3><strong>Snowfall</strong></h3><p>The 2024–25 snow season featured above-average snowfall across parts of the mountainous West, central Plains, Gulf Coast, Southeast and Ohio Valley, while below-average snowfall occurred across much of the Great Basin, southern Rockies, northern Plains, Upper Midwest and portions of the Northeast.</p><p>The 2025–26 snowfall season to date (October 1–December 31, 2025) saw above-average snowfall across much of the Midwest and Great Lakes region, with lake-effect areas receiving more than a foot above average for this period. In contrast, much of the Mountain West and High Plains received lower-than-average snowfall, particularly the Cascades, Wasatch and Uinta and the northern and southern Rockies, with the exception of the Sierra Nevada and parts of the northern Cascades, Bitterroots and middle Rockies.&nbsp;<br></p>

Year in Review: 2025 4th Warmest on Record

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Taban Sharifi grew up in Southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego. She is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) with the American Meteorological Society (AMS). She has a B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Environmental Sciences with a minor in Environmental Systems and Society from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Go Bruins! While in school, Taban was a meteorology intern with NBC LA. There she helped forecast daily weather for the greater Los Angeles region and created a playbook to deploy weather sensors for NBC owned-and-operated stations across the country. Her first on-air job took her to San Angelo, Texas, where she was a morning meteorologist and co-anchor. Working in West Texas gave her knowledge and experience covering severe storms. From there, she moved to Palm Springs, California. People think forecasting in California is sunshine all the time, but with temperatures in the 120’s, wildfires, damaging winds, floodings, and earthquakes, the forecasting kept her very busy! She also worked there as a general assignment reporter and told community stories. Taban is excited for the challenge and opportunity to forecast nationally with WeatherNation. She also looks forward to exploring all that Colorado has to offer!

Taban Sharifi

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<p>Sub-freezing temperatures made their way into the South and Southeast once again Sunday into Monday, with lows in the 30s as far south as South Florida! Temperatures Monday morning (above) dropped down to 25 for Jacksonville, FL and 28 in Atlanta, GA.</p><p>These chilly temps were cold enough to stun cold-blooded Iguanas, which are an invasive species.</p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2012155375894806776" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2012155375894806776"></div><p><strong>Freeze Alerts</strong> remain through Tuesday morning. These are typically issued at the start or end of the growing season, but in the case of Florida, the growing season is a little more ambiguous. These have been issued because frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation, and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Web1-1768904370694.png"></p><p>Temperatures by mid to late week will return closer to normal for overnight lows.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Web2-1768904517103.png"></p>

Lake-Effect Snow Causes 100+ Car Pileup in Michigan

Year in Review: 2025 4th Warmest on Record

Cold Stuns Iguanas as Another Cold Snap Reaches South Florida

Snow & Ice Threaten the South This Weekend

Dangerously Cold Temps Spill Into the Lower 48 Late This Week

Lake-Effect Snow Causes 100+ Car Pileup in Michigan

Year in Review: 2025 4th Warmest on Record

Cold Stuns Iguanas as Another Cold Snap Reaches South Florida

Snow & Ice Threaten the South This Weekend

Dangerously Cold Temps Spill Into the Lower 48 Late This Week

Lake-Effect Snow Causes 100+ Car Pileup in Michigan

Year in Review: 2025 4th Warmest on Record

Cold Stuns Iguanas as Another Cold Snap Reaches South Florida