A powerful winter storm swept across much of the United States from January 22-26, 2026, dumping heavy snow and ice from New Mexico to New England and causing massive airline disruption. More than 9,000 flights were canceled on January 25 alone as blizzard conditions and freezing rain made operations unsafe at major hubs like LaGuardia, with up to 230 million Americans under winter weather alerts and thousands more delayed into January 26.
The storm knocked out power to over a million homes and businesses at its peak on January 24-25, especially in southern states where ice brought down trees and power lines. Authorities across more than a dozen states declared emergencies on January 23-24 and urged people to stay off the roads as temperatures plunged well below freezing and wind chills became life-threatening through January 26. At least 25 to 30 weather-related deaths were reported by January 26, with officials warning the toll could rise as Arctic air lingered into late January.
