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January 2026 OBS and Discussion


TriPol
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15° here.  The dewpoint is -6°!

Todays min/max was 10/18.

I was tempted to start a separate obs thread for tomorrow, but I figured one of the kids would want to do that.  They like that.  It's like when we let them put the envelope in the collection plate at church.

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Frigid air covered the region today. The low at Central Park was 9°. That was its first single-digit temperature since February 4, 2023 when the low was just 3°. The high temperature in Central Park was 17°. That was its first high temperature below 20° since January 21, 2025 when the high was 19°. It was also the coldest high temperature since December 24, 2022 when the mercury topped out at 15°.

The stage is now set for New York City's biggest snowstorm in nearly four or five years. Snow will arrive early tomorrow morning, possibly before sunrise. A significant snowfall is likely in and around the New York City area and surrounding region, even as a transition to sleet is likely. 

New York City and its nearby suburbs will likely pick up 6"-12" of snow. Areas to the north and west of the City will receive 12"-18" of snow. The central Jersey Shore and eastern Long Island will likely see 4"-8" of snow.

Final estimates:

Albany: 14"-20"
Allentown: 8"-14"
Atlantic City: 3"-6"
Baltimore: 6"-12"
Binghamton: 12"-18"
Boston: 14"-20"
Bridgeport: 8"-14"
Concord: 12"-18"
Hartford: 12"-18"
Islip: 4"-8"
New York City: 6"-12"
Newark: 6"-12"
Philadelphia: 6"-12"
Poughkeepsie: 12"-18"
Portland: 12"-18"
Providence: 12"-18"
Richmond: 3"-6"
Scranton: 12"-18"
Washington, DC: 6"-12"

The last time New York City saw a 6" or greater snowfall was January 28-29, 2022 when 8.3" fell. Its last 10" or above snowfall occurred during January 31-February 3, 2021 when 17.4" accumulated. 

Arctic air will return to the region as the storm departs. Highs will be mainly in the lower 20s through Friday. Tuesday could again see highs top out in the teens in New York City. the last winter with more than one high in the teens was Winter 2018-19 when there were two such days. Moreover, New York City has the potential to see the temperature dip into the single digits for lows on or more days during this period. Some snow flurries or snow showers are possible Thursday night into Friday morning.

Overall, January 20th-February 3rd will likely be the coldest and perhaps snowiest two-week period this winter. The forecast WPO-/EPO-/AO-/PNA+ pattern is typically the coldest pattern in January and among the coldest during the first half of February. A persistently positive PNA will have above climatological risk of moderate or significant snowfalls. 

For perspective, the coldest two-week period this winter prior to January 20th was January 3-16, 2026 and January 4-17, 2026 with a mean temperature of 30.3°. The snowiest two-week period was December 14-27, 2025 when 7.2" of snow fell.

The ENSO Region 1+2 anomaly was -0.3°C and the Region 3.4 anomaly was -0.7°C for the week centered around January 14. For the past six weeks, the ENSO Region 1+2 anomaly has averaged -0.48°C and the ENSO Region 3.4 anomaly has averaged -0.68°C. La Niña conditions will likely continue into at least late winter.

The SOI was -18.88 today. 

The preliminary Arctic Oscillation (AO) was -2.391 today. 

Based on sensitivity analysis applied to the latest guidance, there is an implied near 100% probability that New York City will have a cooler than normal January (1991-2020 normal). January will likely finish with a mean temperature near 30.6° (3.1° below normal). 

Supplemental Information: The projected mean would be 2.0° below the 1981-2010 normal monthly value. 

 

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10 minutes ago, donsutherland1 said:

Frigid air covered the region today. The low at Central Park was 9° when the low was just 3°. That was its first single-digit temperature since February 4, 2023. The high temperature in Central Park was 17°. That was its first high temperature below 20° since January 21, 2025 when the high was 19°. It was also the coldest high temperature since December 24, 2022 when the mercury topped out at 15°.

The stage is now set for New York City's biggest snowstorm in nearly four or five years. Snow will arrive early tomorrow morning, possibly before sunrise. A significant snowfall is likely in and around the New York City area and surrounding region, even as a transition to sleet is likely. 

New York City and its nearby suburbs will likely pick up 6"-12" of snow. Areas to the north and west of the City will receive 12"-18" of snow. The central Jersey Shore and eastern Long Island will likely see 4"-8" of snow.

Final estimates:

Albany: 14"-20"
Allentown: 8"-14"
Atlantic City: 3"-6"
Baltimore: 6"-12"
Binghamton: 12"-18"
Boston: 14"-20"
Bridgeport: 8"-14"
Concord: 12"-18"
Hartford: 12"-18"
Islip: 4"-8"
New York City: 6"-12"
Newark: 6"-12"
Philadelphia: 6"-12"
Poughkeepsie: 12"-18"
Portland: 12"-18"
Providence: 12"-18"
Richmond: 3"-6"
Scranton: 12"-18"
Washington, DC: 6"-12"

The last time New York City saw a 6" or greater snowfall was January 28-29, 2022 when 8.3" fell. Its last 10" or above snowfall occurred during January 31-February 3, 2021 when 17.4" accumulated. 

Arctic air will return to the region as the storm departs. Highs will be mainly in the lower 20s through Friday. Tuesday could again see highs top out in the teens in New York City. the last winter with more than one high in the teens was Winter 2018-19 when there were two such days. Moreover, New York City has the potential to see the temperature dip into the single digits for lows on or more days during this period. Some snow flurries or snow showers are possible Thursday night into Friday morning.

Overall, January 20th-February 3rd will likely be the coldest and perhaps snowiest two-week period this winter. The forecast WPO-/EPO-/AO-/PNA+ pattern is typically the coldest pattern in January and among the coldest during the first half of February. A persistently positive PNA will have above climatological risk of moderate or significant snowfalls. 

For perspective, the coldest two-week period this winter prior to January 20th was January 3-16, 2026 and January 4-17, 2026 with a mean temperature of 30.3°. The snowiest two-week period was December 14-27, 2025 when 7.2" of snow fell.

The ENSO Region 1+2 anomaly was -0.3°C and the Region 3.4 anomaly was -0.7°C for the week centered around January 14. For the past six weeks, the ENSO Region 1+2 anomaly has averaged -0.48°C and the ENSO Region 3.4 anomaly has averaged -0.68°C. La Niña conditions will likely continue into at least late winter.

The SOI was -18.88 today. 

The preliminary Arctic Oscillation (AO) was -2.391 today. 

Based on sensitivity analysis applied to the latest guidance, there is an implied near 100% probability that New York City will have a cooler than normal January (1991-2020 normal). January will likely finish with a mean temperature near 30.6° (3.1° below normal). 

Supplemental Information: The projected mean would be 2.0° below the 1981-2010 normal monthly value. 

 

Thanks Don. The 4-8” at Islip seems way too low to me. Nothing shows that, but I guess we’ll see. 

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27 minutes ago, NorthShoreWx said:

Very low.  Even in the best modern winters there were no more than ice flows.  Maybe 90 or 100 years ago or longer.  That's fast moving salt water ...  difficult to freeze.

Lol sorry I meant the Hudson.  And I know it won’t freeze all the way across, but I do remember seeing some decent icebergs on it during the second halves of the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 winters.

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2 minutes ago, Eduardo said:

Lol sorry I meant the Hudson.  And I know it won’t freeze all the way across, but I do remember seeing some decent icebergs on it during the second halves of the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 winters.

Its Already frozen by the TZ.

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11 / 8 - snow (about 2.9 on the ground).  Cold / snow / mix later.  Cold - frigid week with overall cold below - much below avg.  Some moderation between 2/3 - 2/6 before cold returns.  If the 1994 like pattern continues - would expect another bout of snow/ice in the next 7-9 days.

 

GOES19-EUS-02-1000x1000.gif

 

 

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Don,

I think we will see our coldest (60% non-stat based) NYC CP temp since 2019 of 1 or 2 above between Wed-Sat.  Your odds?  

I am seeing MOS and 2M temps missing too warm on mins NYC.  I use GFS/EC 2M blend for the countryside low, but typically those models dont handle the urban very well. In this case, now that we have so much fresh snow on the ground... it should be relatively easy to get down to near zero in the city on one of these nights. Noting MOS errors  significantly too warm for the city the past two mornings. 

Your stats-impressions on this possibility?

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Records:

Highs:

EWR: 59 (2024)
NYC: 60 (1967)
LGA: 57 (2024)
JFK: 55 (2024)


Lows:

EWR: -1 (1935)
NYC: 2 (1945)
LGA: 2 (1945)
JFK: 5 (1961)

 

Historical:

 

1821 - The Hudson River was frozen solid during the midst of the coldest winter in forty-one years. Thousands of persons crossed the ice from New York City to New Jersey, and refreshment taverns were set up in the middle of the river to warm pedestrians. (David Ludlum)

1837 - At 7 PM a display of the Northern Lights danced above Burlington, VT. Its light was equal to the full moon. Snow and other objects reflecting the light were deeply tinged with a blood red hue. Blue, yellow and white streamers were also noted. (The Weather Channel)

 

1937: Las Vegas, Nevada dropped to 8 degrees above zero, setting a record low for the city.

 

1949: Las Vegas, Nevada, recorded 4.7 inches of snow. This brought the monthly snowfall total to 16.7 inches which still ranks as their snowiest month on record

1965 - Alta, UT, was in the midst of a storm that left the town buried under 105 inches of snow establishing a record for the state. (David Ludlum)

1987 - The second major storm in three days hit the Eastern Seaboard producing up to 15 inches of snow in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Up to 30 inches of snow covered the ground in Virginia following the two storms. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1988 - High winds created blizzard conditions in the mountains of Colorado. Winds gusted to 109 mph at Echo Lake, and a wind gust to 193 mph was reported atop Mount Evans. A "nor'easter" moving up the Atlantic Coast spread heavy snow from the Carolinas to New England, with as much as 16 inches reported in the Poconos of eastern Pennsylvania. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Bitter cold air, coming down from Alaska, settled over the Northern Rockies. Wilson WY reported a morning low of 48 degrees below zero. Thunderstorms produced severe weather in the south central U.S. One thunderstorm in north central Texas spawned a tornado which injured three persons at Troy. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990 - Low pressure developed explosively over east central Missouri and moved into Lower Michigan producing high winds and heavy snow across parts of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. Wind gusts to 60 mph and up to a foot of snow created near blizzard conditions in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Wind gusts in Indiana reached 76 mph at Wabash. Thunderstorms associated with the storm produced wind gusts to 54 mph at Fort Madison IA. (National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

2000 - Heavy snow fell from the Carolinas to New England, with up to 20 inches of snow and five deaths reported. (NCDC)

Jan 25, 2000: 5.6 inches of snowfall (combo of mix / dry slotted kept totals down)  Other areas 6 - 12 inches, more north and the mid atlantic

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