HOUSTON (AP) – The severe winter weather affecting the eastern United States shows no signs of abating. Forecasts indicate that the approaching days will bring temperatures well below freezing, extending their reach deep into regions of Florida that have recently experienced warmth. Concurrently, a formidable blizzard is anticipated to impact the Atlantic coastline.

An prolonged period of intense cold is projected to persist until at least the initial week of February. Forecasters are also monitoring the potential development of a “bomb cyclone” – an exceptionally rapid intensification of a storm, akin to a winter variant of a hurricane – expected to materialize off the Carolinas from Friday night into Saturday.

“A significant winter storm is poised to affect the Carolinas,” stated meteorologist Peter Mullinax from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center.

This particular storm could precipitate substantial snowfall, potentially exceeding 6 inches (15 centimeters), accompanied by white-out conditions across the Carolinas, northern Georgia, and southern Virginia.

Following this, the storm’s trajectory might shift, potentially impacting the Interstate 95 corridor from late Saturday into Sunday, delivering heavy snow accumulations from Washington D.C. to Boston, thereby further disrupting transportation across a considerable portion of the nation. Alternatively, its impact could be less severe, primarily affecting areas such as Cape Cod.

In another possible scenario, the storm could simply veer harmlessly out to sea. At present, meteorologists and predictive models have not reached a definitive consensus on the storm’s ultimate path.

“There is a considerably high degree of certainty regarding significant snowfall in the coastal regions of the Carolinas and Virginia this forthcoming weekend,” commented James Belanger, vice president for meteorology at The Weather Channel and its parent organization. “The primary uncertainty lies in its subsequent track.”

Private meteorologist Ryan Maue, formerly a chief scientist at NOAA, characterized the situation for the mid-Atlantic and northern regions as a “boom or bust” scenario. “Should it proceed along the coast, it will constitute a major event.”

Person pushes a bicycle across a stormy winter street
A winter storm in Philadelphia on January 25, 2026. (Matt Rourke/The Associated Press)

Discrepancies in model projections for storm’s path

On Tuesday, meteorological models presented a wide range of potential storm tracks, from trajectories far out at sea to paths closer inland towards Philadelphia. By Wednesday morning, a consensus began to emerge, suggesting “we are likely to witness some form of a potent coastal storm situated east of North Carolina, off the Delmarva Peninsula, although the precise location remains a subject of disagreement,” according to Mullinax.

The likelihood of the storm entirely bypassing the East Coast had diminished by Wednesday morning, though it had not been completely ruled out, Mullinax added.

Among the various possibilities, “the stretch from D.C. to New York presents the most ambiguity,” Mullinax noted. He emphasized that a deviation of merely 50 miles (80 kilometers) in the storm’s center could prove decisive. AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski indicated that it might be challenging for the southern mid-Atlantic region to avoid some degree of snowfall, irrespective of its quantity.

This storm’s intensity will surpass the previous one

Forecasters have highlighted that this weekend’s storm will differ from the preceding weather event. The earlier storm was characterized by the confluence of moist air originating from the Pacific, a deep influx of Arctic air from an extended polar vortex, and supplementary moisture from the south and east, meteorologists explained.

The previous storm exhibited minimal wind. In contrast, the current storm is expected to generate significant winds. Even if the snowfall bypasses the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, gusts could still reach speeds of 40 mph (65 kph), leading to wind chill temperatures near subzero Fahrenheit (minus 18 Celsius), Mullinax elaborated.

“This storm is projected to be quite powerful and explosive, so gusty winds are anticipated for everyone,” Pydynowski stated, including inland locations like Pittsburgh that are unlikely to receive snow. The strong winds could cause daytime temperatures in the teens there to feel as though they are below zero, he added.

“This represents what we would classify as a more classic nor’easter,” Belanger remarked, describing a storm that forms near the U.S. Gulf Coast, traverses inland, and then moves up the Atlantic seaboard.

Interaction of frigid air and warm ocean waters fuels storm’s strength

A critical factor in this scenario is the presence of warmer-than-normal water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico – partly attributed to human-induced climate change – alongside the consistently warm Atlantic Gulf Stream, according to Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist for the nonprofit organization Climate Central.

This combination allows the storm to “draw in more moisture, thereby augmenting its intensity,” she explained.

As the storm’s core approaches the Carolinas, a dramatic drop in atmospheric pressure is anticipated, sufficient to meet the criteria for what meteorologists term “bombogenesis” or a “bomb cyclone.” This phenomenon will imbue the storm with the impact of a moderately strong hurricane, characterized by substantial winds, albeit in a winter context, Maue and Belanger noted.

Should the storm make landfall, the combination of powerful winds and augmented snowfall could result in the formation of massive snowdrifts capable of engulfing vehicles, Maue posited.

Persistent Arctic chill extends its reach southward

A more certain forecast is the continuation of the Arctic chill across the Midwest and Eastern United States through mid-February. Temporary, minor warm-ups are expected, but temperatures would still remain below seasonal averages, meteorologists indicated.

Furthermore, this impending weekend storm “will carry that cold air and direct it straight down the heart of the Florida peninsula,” Pydynowski predicted.

Orlando is forecast to experience temperatures well below freezing, with a projected high of 48 °F (9 °C), potentially shattering existing temperature records. Even cities like Miami and Key West are expected to approach record-low temperatures on Sunday and Monday, according to meteorological assessments.

The forecast for Florida indicates a cold enough spell to raise concerns about potential damage to the state’s vital citrus and strawberry crops.

“We are heading into a period of exceptionally cold weather,” Maue stated.

Pattern of recurring storms continues

Following this weekend’s storm, long-range meteorological models suggest the possibility of another significant weather event towards the end of the first week of February, Maue reported. Forecasters observe a sustained pattern across the East characterized by severe cold and snowstorms, attributed to the ongoing influx of Arctic air and the influence of warm ocean waters.

While East Coast snowstorms are not a frequent occurrence, “when they do happen, they tend to come in succession,” remarked former National Weather Service director Louis Uccellini, who is an author on meteorology textbooks focusing on winter snowstorms.