31 January 2026
Deadly Winter Storm Cripples Quad State Region: Arctic Surge Brings Heavy Snow, Ice, and Extreme Cold
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A massive winter storm battered the Quad State region, including parts of Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, on January 24 and 25, 2026, according to the National Weather Service. Light to moderate snow spread across the area starting early on January 25, accumulating one to four inches in many spots, with some locations like near Melody Hill in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, reporting up to nine inches, and Francisco in Gibson County, Indiana, seeing 14 inches by January 26. Ice buildup reached a glaze to a tenth of an inch in southern West Kentucky, and up to a quarter inch in Muhlenberg County, while a major ice storm struck just south in Tennessee and Mississippi.
Extreme cold followed, with high temperatures stuck in the teens, including a record low high of nine degrees in Evansville, Indiana, on January 26, the second time since 1998 it failed to reach ten degrees. Lows plunged into single digits and below zero, and wind chills hit minus 15 to minus 20 degrees. NASA's Earth Observatory reports that this frigid air from the Canadian and Siberian Arctic funneled deep into the United States east of the Rockies starting January 22, lingering through January 29, with record cold like minus 26 degrees Fahrenheit in Alliance, Nebraska, on January 24, and single-digit chills in south-central Texas on January 26.
The storm proved deadly and disruptive, linking to at least 34 deaths across 14 states, with New York hardest hit, per Advisory Board reports. Power outages ravaged the Southeast, affecting over 600,000 people, including more than 200,000 in Tennessee, over 100,000 each in Louisiana and Mississippi, and thousands in Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. In Oxford, Mississippi, the mayor described the devastation as catastrophic, resembling tornado damage down every street. Nashville officials opened warming centers to aid those without heat.
This event highlights a pattern of compound winter perils across the central and eastern United States, where Arctic surges combine with moisture-laden jets to produce heavy snow, ice, and prolonged cold, complicating cleanup and straining power grids. Forecasters predict another Arctic blast into early February, underscoring the season's severity.
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Extreme cold followed, with high temperatures stuck in the teens, including a record low high of nine degrees in Evansville, Indiana, on January 26, the second time since 1998 it failed to reach ten degrees. Lows plunged into single digits and below zero, and wind chills hit minus 15 to minus 20 degrees. NASA's Earth Observatory reports that this frigid air from the Canadian and Siberian Arctic funneled deep into the United States east of the Rockies starting January 22, lingering through January 29, with record cold like minus 26 degrees Fahrenheit in Alliance, Nebraska, on January 24, and single-digit chills in south-central Texas on January 26.
The storm proved deadly and disruptive, linking to at least 34 deaths across 14 states, with New York hardest hit, per Advisory Board reports. Power outages ravaged the Southeast, affecting over 600,000 people, including more than 200,000 in Tennessee, over 100,000 each in Louisiana and Mississippi, and thousands in Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. In Oxford, Mississippi, the mayor described the devastation as catastrophic, resembling tornado damage down every street. Nashville officials opened warming centers to aid those without heat.
This event highlights a pattern of compound winter perils across the central and eastern United States, where Arctic surges combine with moisture-laden jets to produce heavy snow, ice, and prolonged cold, complicating cleanup and straining power grids. Forecasters predict another Arctic blast into early February, underscoring the season's severity.
Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3Qs
For more check out http://www.quietplease.ai
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI