January 2026 OBS and Discussion

[NittanyWx]

On 1/14/2026 at 12:11 PM, NittanyWx said:

Maintain the view of a more active southern stream with cold air nosing into the northern tier and potentially into the midcon.  MLK weekend is the start of our best pattern potential for higher impact snow storms in quite some time. 

 

Pieces are on the board, it's a matter of putting them together.

I'm still here, and I'm thinking this pattern lasts into early February as well.  Several chances outside of just this weekend.

[snywx]

-3 here

[IrishRob17]

-5° for the low here, back up to -4° now. 

[Brasiluvsnow]

12 minutes ago, IrishRob17 said:

-5° for the low here, back up to -4° now. 

Rob I thought I had it rough over here at +4  stay warm you guys and gals in " the sticks"

[MJO812]

39 minutes ago, NittanyWx said:

I'm still here, and I'm thinking this pattern lasts into early February as well.  Several chances outside of just this weekend.

Weeklies show that clearly. Not only early February but through February. 

[Volcanic Winter]

Bottomed out at 3F down here, not bad! Had to break out my heavier down jacket for the first time in a while.

This is the lowest recorded temp since I’ve installed my Tempest in March 2022. 

Today should feel positively balmy warming up to the mid - upper 30’s.

[Poker2015]

1 hour ago, ForestHillWx said:

I’m at 1 degree  

Per wunderground (accuracy?) there are multiple below zero readings down the hill in Peapack/Gladstone. They have a unique ability to trap cold air in that sink. 

-5 here, about 15 mins from Peapack/Gladstone

[TJW014]

Morning low of -2. Ties the coldest morning of 2025 here. 

[Brian5671]

58 minutes ago, MJO812 said:

Weeklies show that clearly. Not only early February but through February. 

Let's not get greedy

[Picard]

Low of 1 @ 800 feet in Sparta.  It could've ticked lower after I left for work.
I had -4 on the car driving out past Newton through Hampton.  The digital welcome sign for our campus read -5 at 7:15 am.

Also, low of -12 out in Walpack.  Impressive cold.

[wthrmn654]

2nd day in a row it barely got cold wtf!  I got down to 14 in November with no snow cover and I can only get to 18 last night?!  Only 20 day before that......

[NittanyWx]

1 hour ago, MJO812 said:

Weeklies show that clearly. Not only early February but through February. 

I would expect some sort of warmer correction and a pullback between lobes of cold air injections.  Timing that out is tricky, but might be that late 2nd into third week of the forecast.  That's always tough to pick out at this range. 

[SACRUS]

14 / 3 off a low of 1 here.  A brief warmup Thu / Fri ahead of the next arctic airmass (coldest of the season) arriving in phases first Sat with the much tracked storm Sun - Tue then reinforcing arctic air next week 1/28  - 1/30.   Cold into the end of the month, moderation towards the 2/2 period.  Overall cold otherwise strongest cold over the next 10 days with 1 or 2 potential storms to dump some snow in between.

 

[forkyfork]

2 hours ago, NittanyWx said:

I'm still here, and I'm thinking this pattern lasts into early February as well.  Several chances outside of just this weekend.

i think we get at least one archambault event

[The 4 Seasons]

Alright, here's where we at as of Jan 20th, 2026, season-to-date. Thank you to everyone who sent me reports, they were helpful and i tried to include most of them, some didn't fit however. I will have another update in about a month. This was a good mid-point between accumulating events to get this done.

You can always find them here if they get deleted for space. There is also Southern New England and CT maps as well.

https://www.jdjweatherconsulting.com/seasonal-snowfall/25-26-seasonal-snowfall

Lower Northeast

Tri-State Area

[SACRUS]

Records:

Highs:

EWR: 62 (2006)
NYC: 63 (2006)
LGA: 64 (2006)
JKF: 61 (2006)


Lows:

EWR: -8 (1985)
NYC: -2 (1985)
LGA: -3 (1985)
JFK: -2 (1985)

 

Historical:

1854: This was the coldest day of the famous California cold winter when Sacramento, CA dropped to 19°. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1863 - A severe coastal storm dropped heavy rain on the Fredericksburg area of Virginia. It disrupted a Union Army offensive in an ill famed "mud march." (David Ludlum)

1863: The total rainfall in Washington on the 20th-22nd was 3.20 inches (p.39 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss) (David Ludlum, p. 9)
A severe coastal storm dropped heavy rains on the Fredericksburg area. It rained for 30 hours, dropping more than two inches, making mud so deep that mules and horses died attempting to move equipment. The rivers became too high and swift to cross, disrupting the Union Army offensive operation in the ill-famed "Mud March". (Ref. Virginia Wx. History)


1893: Record snows fell across west Texas. Lubbock broke their single storm snowfall record with 16.8 inches. Plainview, TX recorded 18 inches. Dalhart, TX picked up 15 inches of the white stuff. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1918: Temperature rose 83 degrees at Granville, ND over several hours, from a morning reading of -33° to 50° by the afternoon. (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1922: High pressure areas that move across this region in the depths of winter are stronger than at any other times of the year. The barometer at Collegeville, MN hit 31.11 inches of mercury. A new record high pressure for MN. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

1936: Warroad, MN fell to a bone-chilling 55 °F below zero today. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

1959: The maximum temperature for the date in Washington, DC is 70°F.(Washington Weather Records - KDCA)
A winter storm produced 8 to 12 inches of snow across the northern third of Illinois. Further south, a 70 mile wide area, from Jerseyville to Danville, received a half to one inch of ice accumulation. Thousands of homes were without power for several days. This was described as the worst ice storm in Springfield, IL since 1942, and the worst in Champaign, IL in at least 50 years.(Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

 

1963: Up to 3" of snow falls on San Francisco, their heaviest since 1887. 

1979: January 20-21, Up to an inch of solid ice was reported over sections of Southwest Virginia. Numerous trees and power lines came down causing extended power outages. Some localities were still without power a week after the storm. Pittsylvania County reported $1 million in damage to trees. Utility damages were in the millions. Damage also occurred to homes and vehicles from trees falling on them. (Ref. Virginia Wx. History)

1982 - The second of two major snowstorms to hit southern Minnesota came to an end. Minneapolis received 20 inches of snow in 24 hours to break the previous record of 17 inches in 24 hours established just a few days earlier. A record 38 inches of snow covered the ground following the two storms, with drifts ten feet high. (David Ludlum)



1982: Subzero temperatures have occurred 28 times from 1870 to 1933. For 47 years between the year 1935 and 1982 Washington have had no subzero temperatures. In January 1982 some of the coldest nights were: Jan. 11 and 12 both were +2 degrees F
Jan. 17th was the coldest at -5 degrees F. the first subzero temperature in 47 years in Washington. Jan. 21st was -4 degrees F. (Washington Weather Records - KDCA)
The second of two major snowstorms to hit southern Minnesota came to an end. Minneapolis received 20 inches of snow in 24 hours to break the previous record of 17 inches in 24 hours established just a few days earlier. A record 38 inches of snow covered the ground following the two storms, with drifts ten feet high.(David Ludlum) (Ref. Wilson Wx. History)

1985: The minimum temperature for the date is -4°F. in Washington, DC. (Washington Weather Records - KDCA)
Three days of snow squalls at Buffalo NY finally came to an end. The squalls, induced by relatively warm water in Lake Erie, produced 34 inches of snow at the International Airport, with up to 47 inches reported in the suburbs of Buffalo. The New York "blizzard of 85" left many counties disaster areas. (19th - 21st) (Weather Channel) (Storm Data)
NC record low temperature was recorded today on Mt. Mitchell, NC with a reading of -34 °F. SC also set a new state record for the lowest minimum temperature of -19 °F at Caesars Head, SC an unofficial reading of -20 °F was recorded at Long Creek, SC. Maximum 17° minimum -4° wind chill -30 °F President Reagan was sworn in for a second term in the coldest Inauguration Ceremony of record. Cold and wind resulted in wind chill readings as much as 30 degrees below zero. More eastern cold: Jacksonville, FL recorded its all-time record low (7F). Macon, GA had its coldest day ever with 6F. Many counties in New York were declared disaster areas, because of heavy snow.(Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987) (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)
 

1985 - Three days of snow squalls at Buffalo NY finally came to an end. The squalls, induced by relatively warm water in Lake Erie, produced 34 inches of snow at the International Airport, with up to 47 inches reported in the suburbs of Buffalo. The New York "blizzard of '85" left many counties disaster areas. (19th-21st) (Weather Channel) (Storm Data) President Reagan was sworn in for a second term in the coldest Inauguration Ceremony of record. Cold and wind resulted in wind chill readings as much as 30 degrees below zero. (Sandra and TI Richard Sanders - 1987)

1985: Jacksonville, Florida, recorded its all-time record low of 7 degrees. Macon, Georgia, had its coldest day ever with a temperature of 6 degrees.  It was the coldest Inauguration day in history as President Reagan is sworn in for a second term during cold and winds that resulted in wind chill readings of 30 degrees below zero. Because of the bitter cold temperatures, many outdoor Inauguration events were canceled, and President Reagan was sworn in the Capitol Rotunda.

1987 - Low pressure over Minnesota produced high winds in the Northern Plains Region. Winds gusted to 66 mph at Rapid City SD, and reached 70 mph at Belle Fourche SD. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - High pressure over northern Nevada and low pressure off the coast of southern California combined to produce high winds in the southwestern U.S. Wind gusts in the San Francisco area reached 70 mph at Fremont. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Cold and snow prevailed in the northeastern U.S. Up to 13 inches of snow was reported between Woodford and Searsburg in Vermont. Montpelier VT reported a wind chill reading of 42 degrees below zero. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990 - Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across the state of Florida. Eight cities reported record high temperatures for the date, including West Palm Beach with a reading of 86 degrees. Rain in southern New England changed to freezing rain, then to sleet, and then to heavy snow during the late morning. Most of Massachusetts was blanketed with 6 to 10 inches of snow. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)



1994: Frigid conditions persisted over the Northeast. All-time record lows were established at Harrisburg, PA: -22°, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA: -21°, Williamsport, PA: -20°, Erie, PA: -18° and Allentown, PA: -15°. Livermore Falls, ME and Grafton, NH recorded morning lows of -40°. The morning low in Worcester, MA was below 0° for the 7th day in a row to establish a new record. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

1996: Heavy rains and melting snow due to record warmth results in some of worst flooding ever in PA, MD and VA C&O canal wiped out by flooding. (Bob Ryan's 2000 Almanac)

 

1999: A major tornado outbreak occurred from the southwest into central and northeast Arkansas during the afternoon and evening. In the Little Rock Area, 30 tornadoes tracked across 15 counties. Homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in Little Rock, Beebe, McRae, and areas farther north and east. Eight deaths resulted from the tornadoes, with 140 to 150 injuries also reported.

2000: A powerful ocean storm off the coast of New England developed an "eye" as the central pressure fell to 954 millibars or 28.16 Inches of mercury. This was the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane. (Ref. AccWeather Weather History)

2008: Northern Maine: Temperatures drop well below zero Fahrenheit in extreme northern sections of Maine: Van Buren registers -34° F; Presque Isle bottoms at -27° F and Allagash, falls to -26° F. (Ref. Wx.Doctor)

2011: The lowest temperatures recorded in the NWS Duluth county warning area were -46 degrees at both International Falls, MN (ASOS) and Babbitt, MN (CO-OP). The -46 degree low was tied for the 5th lowest on record at International Falls. Temperature records date back to 1897. The record is -55 degrees which was recorded on January 6, 1909.
What's the coldest city in the lower 48 states? That dubious distinction belongs to our friends in International Falls, MN which has a yearly average temperature of 36.4°. Minnesota and North Dakota each had three cities in the top 10, while South Dakota had none. Some cities on the list include: #2: Duluth, MN at 38.2°, #3: Caribou, ME at 38.9°, #6: Fargo, ND at 40.5° and #9: Bismarck, ND at 41.3°. (Ref. International Falls, MN)

[IrishRob17]

1 hour ago, Brasiluvsnow said:

Rob I thought I had it rough over here at +4  stay warm you guys and gals in " the sticks"

Those of us who can generate their own cold are used to it  +9 degress now. 

[Volcanic Winter]

14 minutes ago, The 4 Seasons said:

Alright, here's where we at as of Jan 20th, 2026, season-to-date. Thank you to everyone who sent me reports, they were helpful and i tried to include most of them, some didn't fit however. I will have another update in about a month. This was a good mid-point between accumulating events to get this done.

You can always find them here if they get deleted for space. There is also Southern New England and CT maps as well.

https://www.jdjweatherconsulting.com/seasonal-snowfall/25-26-seasonal-snowfall

Lower Northeast

Tri-State Area

I’m at around 10+ down here inland Toms River, checks out. Nice map!

[Stormlover74]

4 this morning. House was down to 61 when I got up

[dmillz25]

16 minutes ago, The 4 Seasons said:

Alright, here's where we at as of Jan 20th, 2026, season-to-date. Thank you to everyone who sent me reports, they were helpful and i tried to include most of them, some didn't fit however. I will have another update in about a month. This was a good mid-point between accumulating events to get this done.

You can always find them here if they get deleted for space. There is also Southern New England and CT maps as well.

https://www.jdjweatherconsulting.com/seasonal-snowfall/25-26-seasonal-snowfall

Lower Northeast

Tri-State Area

I gotta to send you an update on my seasonal total so far. It’s at 11.6” Williamsburg Brooklyn but will update further when you are ready 

[The 4 Seasons]

2 minutes ago, Volcanic Winter said:

I’m at around 10+ down here inland Toms River, checks out. Nice map!

Toms river would have helped, thats ok. thank you though!

Sometimes i regret including Ulster in that lol, PITA with crazy elevation over 4k around Slide. 

[The 4 Seasons]

1 minute ago, dmillz25 said:

I gotta to send you an update on my seasonal total so far. It’s at 11.6” Williamsburg Brooklyn but will update further when you are ready 

oh ok, i used cocorahs for Kings, maybe thats you, its Brooklyn 2.4WSW

[MJO812]

48 minutes ago, Brian5671 said:

Let's not get greedy

Thats what the Weeklies show. 

There are 2 other storms to watch after this weekend.

[jconsor]

11 hours ago, donsutherland1 said:

Saturday and possibly Sunday could see high temperatures below 20° across much of the New York City area. Such frigid highs have been very infrequent since 2020.

Additionally, we could see several days with highs below 20F behind the Sun-Mon storm at Central Park.  Mon's high is highly uncertain - could end up close to 30F if the storm trends further north.  

Any streak of 5+ days at/below 25F and 4+ days at/below 22F would be quite notable.  There have only been four such streaks of <=25F and two such streaks of <=22F at Central Park in the past 50 years!

 

[MANDA]

2 hours ago, bluewave said:

The -20° to -33° lows were fairly widespread across your region during the historic January 1994 Arctic outbreak. 

 

Monthly Data for January 1994 for Sussex County, NJ
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

SUSSEX 1 NW	COOP	-29
NEWTON	COOP	-26
SUSSEX 8 NNW	COOP	-20
HIGH POINT PARK	COOP	-18

 

Monthly Data for January 1994 for Pike County, PA
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

HAWLEY 1 E

COOP

-31

 

Monthly Data for January 1994 for Wayne County, PA
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

PLEASANT MOUNT 1 W

COOP

-22

 

Monthly Data for January 1994 for Orange County, NY
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

WALDEN 1 ESE	COOP	-27
MIDDLETOWN 2 NW	COOP	-23

 

Monthly Data for January 1994 for Sullivan County, NY
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

LIBERTY 1 NE

COOP

-20

 

Monthly Data for January 1994 for Ulster County, NY
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

SLIDE MOUNTAIN

COOP

-21

 

Monthly Data for January 1994 for Dutchess County, NY
Click column heading to sort ascending, click again to sort descending.

RHINEBECK 4SE	COOP	-33
MILLBROOK	COOP	-29
STORMVILLE	COOP	-22
POUGHKEEPSIE	COOP	-20

Sorry I missed that!  Was living in Chatham, NJ at the time and don't remember exact numbers from that cold and icy winter but I do remember it was COLD!

[MANDA]

Got down to 6 here on top of the hill, my location is the highest point in the area.  Other readings at lower elevations around me were in the +1 to +2 range.  Saw a +5 and +7 but not sure of their elevation.

 

NJ coldest mins:

 

 

[The 4 Seasons]

16 minutes ago, jconsor said:

Additionally, we could see several days with highs below 20F behind the Sun-Mon storm at Central Park.  Mon's high is highly uncertain - could end up close to 30F if the storm trends further north.  

Any streak of 5+ days at/below 25F and 4+ days at/below 22F would be quite notable.  There have only been four such streaks of <=25F and two such streaks of <=22F at Central Park in the past 50 years!

 

I know its NYC but im a little surprised the numbers at that low. Kinda figured there would be some high numbers in the 1800s/early 1900s when it was less of a heat island

[donsutherland1]

38 minutes ago, jconsor said:

Additionally, we could see several days with highs below 20F behind the Sun-Mon storm at Central Park.  Mon's high is highly uncertain - could end up close to 30F if the storm trends further north.  

Any streak of 5+ days at/below 25F and 4+ days at/below 22F would be quite notable.  There have only been four such streaks of <=25F and two such streaks of <=22F at Central Park in the past 50 years!

 

Yes. The potential is there. It does seem that the Weathermodels' charts overdo the lows e.g., it showed 6° for today. I'm not sure if the algorithm can't handle the UHI effect in NYC. It seems that the charts assume greater radiational cooling than is possible in NYC. Outside the city e.g., White Plains, they typically do better.

[Brasiluvsnow]

1 hour ago, IrishRob17 said:

Those of us who can generate their own cold are used to it  +9 degress now. 

I know a thing or 2 about generating cold as I can provide my own thermal cooling when needed,,,,,in other news break out the sunscreen 

[Stormlover74]

Gfs likes the 31st thru the 2nd