January 23–27, 2026 North American winter storm

From January 23 to January 27, 2026, a very large and expansive winter storm, unofficially referred to as Winter Storm Fern by The Weather Channel and various news outlets, or Snowmageddon in some areas, caused deadly and catastrophic ice and snow impacts across a very long stretch of land, encompassing Northern Mexico to the Southern and Northeastern United States and into Canada.

Developing in part from an upper-level low on January 22, the winter storm steadily moved eastwards across the Central United States, dropping a very large swath of wintry precipitation. By January 25, the system had moved into the Northeast, where it began to transition into a nor'easter. Gusty winds and heavy snow continued to occur in New England, even as it pulled away from the coastline the following day, leaving many parts of North America with a mix of rain, sleet, freezing rain, and snow. Meteorologists described the storm as "potentially historic" in its impact, with the storm at one point encompassing nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of length stretching from the Mexico–United States border far into eastern regions of Canada. Twenty-four U.S. state governors issued emergency declarations in response to the storm. Winter weather alerts were also issued across a similar length of terrain, affecting up to 230 million people. The storm resulted in over 10,000 flights nationwide in the United States being cancelled or postponed. Travel bans were also enacted in numerous states.

As of February 23, 174 deaths had been confirmed due to the storm, becoming the deadliest winter storm in North America since Winter Storm Uri, which caused the 2021 Texas power crisis and killed at least 290 people. Over a million customers lost power, mostly concentrated within the South where a damaging and crippling ice storm occurred, causing power lines and trees to snap and break under the weight. Icy conditions also led to hazardous travel afterwards. Damages are estimated to be in excess of US$4 billion. Overall, a large swath of snowfall ranging from 1–2 feet (12–24 in; 30–61 cm) occurred from Texas to Maine, and in some cases (particularly in the South) broke daily snowfall records. In the Mid-Atlantic states and Northeast, where the storm became a nor'easter, several locations along the I-95 corridor—specifically Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City—saw their heaviest snowfall accumulation since a nor'easter in February 2021. Several days after the storm, the Carolinas were affected by yet another powerful winter storm, compounding recovery efforts.