The most intense polar vortex outbreaks of the modern era are what hundreds of millions in the Northern Hemisphere are living through, with gas and heating prices going through the roof. Americans were walloped this weekend. The latest ECMWF guidance indicates roughly 250 million Americans will be affected by the massive winter storm still in progress.
The event swept Texas late Friday (January 23) with freezing rain, then a rapid flash freeze as Arctic air crashes south. Air travel has all but ground to a halt in many cities. The storm led to more than 16,000 cancellations from Saturday through Monday, according to FlightAware data. The headlines today are “An Arctic siege has taken over our state,” Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, said. “It is brutal, it is bone-chilling, and it is dangerous.”
Much of the Northeast is running 15F to 25F below average, with subzero lows spreading from upstate New York into northern New England. Wind chills below zero are expected to persist across the region’s interior through midweek.
December closed colder. And not by a little. The December 2025 surface temperature anomalies show a decisive cooling trend. Negative anomalies dominate nearly every continent and major ocean basin. The Climate Con is unraveling as excess heat disappears from Planet Earth. Many people are thinking about moving out of harm’s way. Nearly Half of American Homeowners Plan to Relocate in 2026 Due to Extreme Weather, though most will not be able to afford to do so.