How the Polar Vortex and Warm Ocean Intensified a Major US Winter Storm

OUTSIDE VIEW: How the polar vortex and warm ocean intensified a major US winter storm

By Matthew Barlow, UMass Lowell, and Judah Cohen, MIT

How the polar vortex and warm ocean intensified a major US winter storm

A severe winter storm that brought crippling freezing rain, sleet and snow to a large part of the U.S. in late January 2026 left a mess in states from New Mexico to New England. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power across the South as ice pulled down tree branches and power lines, more than a foot of snow fell in parts of the Midwest and Northeast, and many states faced bitter cold that was expected to linger for days.

Climate change's role in the monster winter storm of January 2026: warmer oceans, more moisture and a dislocated 'polar vortex'

Intense events do not necessarily change in the same way as average events. It appears that the most intense winter storms may be becoming more intense.

How the polar vortex and warm ocean intensified a major US winter storm

by Mathew Barlow, UMass Lowell and Judah Cohen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) A severe winter storm that brought crippling freezing rain, sleet and snow to a large part of the U.S. in late January 2026 left a mess in states from New Mexico to New England. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power across … Continue reading How the polar vortex and warm ocean intensified a major US winter storm