Winter is about to get real. Over the weekend, a major storm will spread snow, ice, and deadly cold across a 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) stretch of the United States. It’s shaping up to be the most extreme winter storm yet this season.
On Wednesday, an Arctic blast will begin expanding across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S., bringing sub-zero and single-digit temperatures to the Northern Plains by Thursday and the mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, and Northeast by Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
As this frigid air moves southward, it will collide with an atmospheric river streaming from the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, producing a powerful winter storm that will stretch from the Central-Southern Plains to the East Coast starting Friday and lasting through the weekend.
“We’re about to witness a truly legendary winter storm setup in the Southern [U.S.] later this week,” Defense Department meteorologist Eric Webb wrote in an X post on Tuesday. The convergence of this Arctic blast and atmospheric river “will lead to a ridiculous amount of snow/ice,” he added.
The perfect storm
From Wednesday to Thursday, the biggest safety concern will be life-threatening cold. Arctic blasts are caused by disruptions of the polar vortex—a large area of cold air and low pressure that encircles the North Pole. When the vortex weakens, frigid air spills southward over North America, often bringing dangerously low temperatures to wide swaths of the U.S.
This Arctic blast will be accompanied by gusty winds, leading to severe wind chills. The coldest wind chills may fall below -50 degrees Fahrenheit (-45.6 degrees Celsius) across the Northern Plains, according to the NWS. Extreme cold warnings, watches, and cold weather advisories will go into effect for parts of the region as well as the Upper Midwest Wednesday night.
Then comes the snow and ice. An atmospheric river is a narrow band of concentrated moisture in the lower atmosphere. When the one over the South meets the Arctic blast on Friday, all that water vapor will rapidly rise, cool, and condense into wintery precipitation.
The upcoming winter storm will be particularly unique because it will usher a record-breaking cold air mass AND have an atmospheric river feeding into it.
Cold plus moisture equals atmospheric fireworks and major weather impacts! pic.twitter.com/yVFHIhU8ti
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) January 21, 2026
During the storm’s peak on Sunday, roughly 55% of people in the contiguous U.S. are forecast to experience snow, sleet, or freezing rain at the same time, meteorologist Ben Noll reports for the Washington Post. Forecasters expect this to cause widespread power outages and major travel disruptions across the East.
Life-threatening temperatures and power outages are a deadly combination. Meteorologist Ryan Maue, formerly chief scientist at NOAA, told the Associated Press that temperatures will dip below -30 degrees F (-34.4 degrees C) as Arctic air reaches the Midwest, Great Lakes, and New England over the weekend.
“I think people are underestimating just how bad it’s going to be,” Maue said.
Now is the time to prepare for this storm. Be sure to monitor your local forecast through the end of the week, you can find a full list of NWS radio stations by location here. Take measures to avoid unnecessary travel over the weekend—stock up on groceries, water, and medications now. If you absolutely must travel, make sure your car has an emergency kit with blankets, a shovel, a scraper, and traction aids.
While this will certainly be the most severe storm of the 2025-2026 season thus far, winter is far from over. Atmospheric scientists expect the polar vortex to remain unstable for the next two weeks, so this weekend’s storm could be a preview of more wild weather soon to come.
