Archived: January 2026 Eastern US Winter Storm Forecast

What a January 22 Source Supports

The USDA's January 22, 2026 Water and Climate Update, page 18 preserved a dated national outlook for a dangerous winter storm from Friday into Monday. On the 2026 calendar, those days were January 23 through January 26.

That outlook described snow, sleet, and freezing rain extending from the central and southern Rockies and Plains toward the Atlantic Coast. It identified the possibility of 1 to 2 feet of snow in some areas, including the Ozarks and portions of the Mid-Atlantic. This was a regional possibility, not a promised total for every city along I-95.

The outlook also warned that ice could cause extensive, prolonged power outages from northeastern Texas into the mid-South and interior Carolinas. Extreme cold was another concern east of the Rockies, with temperatures potentially reaching 0°F or lower as far south as parts of the central Plains, Ohio Valley, and Mid-Atlantic.

These were pre-event expectations. They do not establish the exact snowfall, ice accumulation, or wind chill at any particular address.

Corrections to the Original Coverage

The earlier version paired Friday with January 24 and Monday with January 27. Those weekday/date combinations belong to a different calendar year. The corrected event window above follows the dated January 22 outlook.

The original article also assigned precise snowfall probabilities to Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, and gave detailed local snow, ice, and wind-chill ranges. We could not substantiate those figures against the original forecast products. We have removed them rather than presenting them as verified historical guidance. The original population-under-alerts figure and detailed city-by-city timeline were also removed because this review did not establish their source and issuance time.

Forecast totals, probabilities, and warning coverage change between advisories. A useful forecast archive needs the issuing office, issue time, valid period, and source product for each numerical claim.

Where to Check What Actually Happened

For observations and event analysis, consult the National Weather Service's Fort Worth account of the January 23-26 winter storm and the Weather Prediction Center's January 26 event archive.

Those post-event reports serve a different purpose from the January 22 forecast. Observed totals should not be substituted for what forecasters had predicted several days earlier.

General Winter Weather Resources

For preparation and interpretation that applies beyond this event:

• Winter weather safety and planning
• Why snow totals vary
• Ice storms, freezing rain, and sleet
• Wind chill and feels-like temperature

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