Pennsylvania Weather Review: January 2026
Pennsylvania Weather Review: January 2026
The month of January 2026 was relatively quiet for the first 3 weeks with a just few minor systems moving through. That all changed when cold air parked over the state, setting the stage for one of the biggest snowstorm in years followed by more bitterly cold temperatures. Read on as I recap January 2026.
January Highlights
The month and new year started off with an intense snow squall that developed just before midnight of New Years in northwest Pennsylvania. The squall stretched across the entire state. In total 28 Snow Squall Warnings were issued on January 1st. Had the squall moved through during the daytime hours it would have caused more travel disruptions.
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| Map showing all 28 Snow Squall Warnings issued on January 1, 2026. Source. |
Temperatures remained cooler than average through the first 5 days of the month before temperatures began to climb on the 6th. The majority of the state observed high temperatures in the 50s on the 8th with western Pennsylvania warming into the mid 60s on the 9th. Some locations did not drop below 50° on the morning of the 9th.
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| Map of high temperatures for the 24 hour ending 7AM January 10, 2026. Source. |
January 9th also brought the first Severe Thunderstorm Warning of the year to Pennsylvania. A squall line with very gust winds formed in New York and spread into extreme northern Pennsylvania. The Warning was issued for Warren & McKean Counties and was the first January Severe Thunderstorm Warning in the state since 2020.
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| Map with radar showing the Severe Thunderstorm Warning for portions of Warren & McKean Counties on January 9th. Source. |
More snow squalls on the 11th, 17th, and 19th brought additional Snow Squall Warnings, pushing the total for the month over the record for a single month. A quick hitting system brought over 6" of snow on the morning of the 19th across a large portion of eastern Pennsylvania. This pushed seasonal snow totals well above average there. The snowpack allowed temperatures to drop below zero in eastern Pennsylvania on the morning of the 21st. Lancaster dropped to -7° and Allentown dropped to -9°.
Mostly clear sky on the 19th and 20th brought brilliant views of the northern lights for those who were brave enough to go outside in the frigid temperatures. A localized snow event brought up to 5" in central PA on the evening of the 21st causing travel headaches for the evening commute. The biggest storm was yet to come.
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| Webcam image showing the northern lights over Ross Pond on January 20, 2026. Source. |
While the previous week had been cold, frigid air would arrive on the 23rd, setting the stage for the storm to come. Temperatures on the morning of the 24th dropped to as low as 23° below. Winter Storm Warnings were issued for the entire state for the storm. This was the first time in over 20 years the Winter Storm Warnings were issued for all of Pennsylvania. Commercial vehicles were banned from all highways ahead of the storm.
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| Low temperatures observed on the morning of January 24, 2026. Source. |
Snow began falling in southwest Pennsylvania just before midnight on the 24th. Temperatures remained in the teens for the duration of the storm in most of Pennsylvania. Precipitation was all snow for the majority of Pennsylvania with a little bit of sleet mixing in across extreme southern Pennsylvania thanks to some warmer air aloft. Snow wrapped up in northeastern Pennsylvania after midnight on the 26th. The heaviest totals were observed in portions of western Pennsylvania and the Laurel Highlands where over 20" fell.
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| Snowfall totals from January 24-26, 2026. |
Residual snow showers & flurries continued in the days after the storm. The light fluffy snow and some wind combined to cause some minor drifting. The snowpack helped bring frigid air behind the storm which locked into place through the entire week. High temperatures on the last 7 days of January were in the single digits and teens on most days. Low temperatures were just as impressive.
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| Record low temperature summaries for January 30th and 31st. |
Western Pennsylvania was the coldest spot with lows dipping below -10° on numerous days with isolated locations bottoming out below -20°. Some daily record low temperatures were broken on the 30th and 31st. -11° in Pittsburgh on the 31st was the coldest temperature observed there since 1994. In the last 11 days of the month all locations in the state had recorded the coldest temperatures of the season so far.
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| Coldest temperatures observed during January 2026. |
January Statistics
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| Summary of temperature and precipitation compared to average for January 2026. |
While the first half of January was warmer than average, the impressive cold during the last week of the month brought average temperatures for the month well below average. Dryness continued with the month finishing drier than average statewide. Bradford and Williamsport both finished the month more than an inch below average. If not for the snowstorm, precipitation deficits would have been much greater.
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| Total Snow Squall Warnings by month since 2018 (left). Source. Map of all Snow Squall Warnings during January 2026 (right). Source. |
A total of 85 Snow Squall Warnings were issued in January 2026, the record most for a single month since the product debuted in 2018. 28 on January 1st tied for the 2nd most on a single date. Additionally, 25 were issued on the 19th with another 17 on the 11th and 11 on the 17th.
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| Chart summarizing the last time temperatures were as cold as January 2026. |
January 2026 was the coldest January since 2014 or 2015 for a number of locations in Pennsylvania. This was also the coldest month since February 2015. Additionally, January 2026 was quite snowy. Scranton recorded the snowiest January since 2011.
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| Chart summarizing snow totals for January 2026, average January snow totals, and the last time January was as snowy as January 2026. |
Following the snowstorm on the 25th, the deep snowpack helped to enhance the cold air over the state. The cold air stuck around with temperatures not rising above the teens & 20s for over a week. Altoona broke the record for most consecutive days with temperatures <=20°. Bradford stayed at or below 11° for 8 days, the longest on record there.
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| Table summarizing the consecutive number of days with temperatures at low thresholds during the last week of January 2026. |
Webcam Image of the Month
Photos on social media began circulating of ice pillars in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio on some very cold nights in mid January. I was able to find a few webcam snapshots that captured the phenomena from the evening of January 19th including this one from DuBois. More ice pillars were observed on January 31st.
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| Ice Pillars fill the sky over DuBois on the evening of January 19. Source. |
Wrapping Up & Looking Ahead
The weather in Pennsylvania during January 2026 was quite notable making for a loaded blog. If you are new here make sure to check out my previous blog posts and sign up for email alerts below. Regardless if you are a new or returning guest, thanks for stopping by!
And as always, remember to always look up!
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