Weather tracker: Severe storms grip US as snow, ice and deep freeze spread

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by James Michelin and Ollie Lewis for the MetDeskJanuary 26, 2026 at 11:21 AM

Read Original Article

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

A severe winter storm is impacting the United States, bringing heavy snow, freezing rain, and extreme cold to 26 states from Texas to Massachusetts. The storm, which began in the south-central US, has caused widespread travel disruption, power outages affecting over 800,000 households, and at least seven deaths. Dangerously low temperatures, reaching -20C in parts of Texas, are also causing trees to crack and split. Meanwhile, in Europe, Storm Joseph is expected to bring torrential rainfall to Portugal and northwest Spain, potentially causing flooding after the recent Storm Ingrid. Up to 20cm of rain is expected, with higher ground potentially receiving more than 30cm by Friday.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Massachusetts 40% Mississippi 40% Tennessee 40% Kentucky 40% Oklahoma 40% New York 50% Philadelphia 50% Portugal ×260% Texas ×260% Storm Joseph 60% National Weather Service 70% United States ×390%

Keywords

severe winter weather 100% heavy snow 80% freezing rain 80% extreme cold temperatures 70% power outages 60% storm warnings 50% deep freeze 50% travel disruption 50% flooding 40% heavy rainfall 40%