The freezing temperatures are causing parts of New York’s East River to freeze.Image: keystone
Feb 1, 2026, 4:15 p.mFeb 1, 2026, 4:15 p.m
A severe winter storm has brought snow, hurricane-force winds, storm surges and dangerous cold to the southeastern United States. According to the National Weather Service, a low pressure area off the coast developed into a so-called bomb cyclone – an explosive winter storm – on Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.
In the US state of North Carolina, local snowfall amounts were among the highest since records began. More than 25 centimeters were measured on the coast by morning (local time), and in Charlotte it was the fourth snowiest day in almost 150 years. South Carolina and parts of Georgia and Virginia were also affected.
Chunks of snow in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC.Image: keystone
Dangerous wind chill temperatures
The arctic cold air flowing behind the storm also caused unusual weather phenomena further south. In Florida, meteorologists reported new cold records for the month of February: temperatures dropped below freezing in some cases – even in parts of South Florida. The weather service said such values were last measured there at the end of the 1980s.
Authorities warned of life-threatening wind chill temperatures, i.e. perceived temperatures that are often significantly lower than measured values because strong winds remove heat from the skin. This significantly increases the risk of hypothermia and frostbite.
Second winter storm in a row
The new storm follows last weekend’s extreme cold and heavy snowfall, which, according to media reports, killed at least 85 people in several US states. In many places, hundreds of thousands of households are still without electricity and therefore without heating. The new outages affected more than 150,000 households and businesses nationwide as of Sunday morning, particularly in Mississippi and Tennessee.
Air traffic also remained severely restricted: more than 1,100 flights were canceled on Sunday after around 2,500 connections were canceled on Saturday. There were also numerous accidents and delivery delays on icy roads. (sda/dpa)
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