Winter storm barrels across the U.S., breaking snow records and stretching power crews

A broad swath of the country dug out at once

By Tuesday, January 27, 2026, many communities from the Southern Plains to the Northeast were still digging out and trying to restore normal routines after a powerful storm spread snow, sleet and freezing rain across a huge corridor of the country. Officials warned that the hazards did not end when the heaviest precipitation moved on: ice loads, downed trees and deep snow continued to complicate travel and repairs even as some areas shifted into a prolonged stretch of extreme cold. ([washingtonpost.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/01/27/snow-records-storm/?utm_source=openai))

Record snow totals piled up in multiple regions

Preliminary National Weather Service data showed widespread heavy snow, with more than 15 inches reported in numerous locations and clusters of potential daily-record totals across parts of the Midwest. One of the standout measurements cited in early tallies was 31 inches in a 72-hour period near Bonito Lake, New Mexico, while hundreds of other stations logged totals placing the event among the more extreme January snowfalls for their local climate. ([washingtonpost.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/01/27/snow-records-storm/?utm_source=openai))

Ice drove outages and kept crews in the field

In the South and lower Mid‑Atlantic, the storm’s freezing rain created a different kind of emergency: heavy ice stressed lines and trees, producing long-lived outages and forcing utilities to triage repairs while roads remained slick. Power issues were expected to linger in places where icing was heaviest, because restoration can be slowed by continuing cold, scattered access problems and recurring equipment failures. ([nwpb.org](https://www.nwpb.org/npr-top-stories/2026-01-25/power-outages-and-canceled-flights-as-winter-storm-brings-snow-sleet-and-ice?utm_source=openai))

Air travel and daily services were disrupted

Airports and airlines dealt with large waves of cancellations and delays as the system swept through major population centers, and many local governments urged people to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Schools, libraries and other institutions across affected states adjusted schedules or closed as road conditions and temperatures created ongoing safety concerns. ([nwpb.org](https://www.nwpb.org/npr-top-stories/2026-01-25/power-outages-and-canceled-flights-as-winter-storm-brings-snow-sleet-and-ice?utm_source=openai))

What happens next

Meteorologists emphasized that the story was not only snowfall totals but also the length of the event’s impacts: the combination of residual icing, dangerous cold and strain on infrastructure can turn a weekend storm into a multi-day public-safety problem. Emergency managers continued to encourage preparedness—especially for households that might face extended outages during subfreezing nights. ([aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/25/us-storm-causes-widespread-power-outages-thousands-of-flights-cancelled?utm_source=openai))