Winter Returning With Fury As Painfully Freezing Temperatures Set To Conquer Eastern United States

Following a short period of milder weather, winter is poised to make a forceful comeback across much of the eastern United States for the remainder of January, delivering Arctic-level cold and multiple rounds of snowfall to the Great Lakes region and the interior Northeast.

The chill will extend southward into portions of the Southeast, where elevated areas in North Carolina and Tennessee stand a good chance of seeing snow as weather systems traverse the region.

On the opposite side of the country, the West Coast is expected to shift back to more temperate conditions after enduring a prolonged series of atmospheric rivers that triggered record-breaking flooding in sections of California and the Pacific Northwest.

Starting Friday, a pronounced southward dip in the jet stream will extend over areas of the Upper Midwest and cover the remainder of the Lower 48’s eastern half. (RELATED: At Least 25 States To Be Impacted By Winter Storm Threatening Heavy Snow)

The FOX Forecast Center explains that the dip will facilitate the influx of Arctic air masses and successive winter storms spilling southward from Canada into the contiguous United States.

Although none of the approaching systems are projected to develop into major, high-impact storms, they will effectively reestablish the pattern of cold temperatures and accumulating snow.

Extremely cold air is forecast to surge far into the Southeast, reaching even into Florida, where temperatures could plummet 15-20 degrees below normal — cold enough to cause iguanas to become stunned and drop from trees in a phenomenon known as cold-stunning.

SNOW EXPECTATIONS FOR JANUARY

The ongoing weather pattern closely resembles the persistent conditions that dominated December, when frequent snowfall events drew notice even in classic snowbelt areas throughout the Midwest and the interior Northeast.

In Syracuse, New York — a city accustomed to heavy lake-effect snow off Lake Ontario — the seasonal snowfall total has already surpassed 83 inches so far this winter, marking the highest accumulation in over ten years.

Many of the same Great Lakes snowbelts are likely to face several additional rounds of snow over the coming two weeks, driven by a series of weather systems dropping south from Canada. Snow is expected to extend as far south as the southern Appalachians, while temperatures could drop low enough to support short-lived winter weather in parts of Alabama, Georgia and at lower elevations across the Carolinas.

MUCH-NEEDED REST FOR WEST COAST

The upcoming shift in the weather pattern will bring much-appreciated drier conditions back to the West Coast, which follows an extended period of relentless atmospheric river events that triggered catastrophic and historic flooding in regions of Washington and California, claiming lives in the process.

Although the recent storms delivered vital snow accumulations to the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, the persistent heavy precipitation has also heightened avalanche risks, resulting in several fatal incidents in those areas.

WEATHER ROLLERCOASTER HITS SOUTHEAST

The most striking aspect of this upcoming weather pattern change for many people will be the abrupt and intense return of cold conditions.

Since the start of 2026, much of the contiguous United States has experienced temperatures running 5-10 degrees above normal.

Following a high reaching 60 degrees Tuesday in Atlanta, low temperatures through portions of the Southeast are expected to drop into the 20s by Thursday morning — signaling the onset of an extended period of wintry cold that will have a grip over the eastern U.S. for several weeks.