Storm recap / January 2026

January 24-26, 2026 snowstorm: snow totals by city

A large winter storm crossed the central and eastern United States from January 24 to 26, 2026, with heavy snow from the Ohio Valley into New England and sleet and freezing rain to the south. Official weather stations measured 23.2 inches at Boston Logan, 14.8 at Providence, 12.2 at Columbus and 4.4 at Chicago O'Hare. Each number is one station, and snow differed a lot across every metro.

Updated October 6, 2026. By Weather Decision Solutions. All guides

What happened

The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center began tracking the storm on Friday, January 23, over the southern Plains, and followed it through the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast. Heavy snow fell on the cold side of the storm, with significant sleet and freezing rain to the south and arctic air behind it.

The Northeast Regional Climate Center reported snowfall across the Northeast from under three inches to more than 24 inches, with the heaviest totals in southwestern Pennsylvania, eastern New York and New England. On January 25, Boston measured 16.7 inches, and the two-day totals at Boston, Worcester, Bridgeport and Hartford ranked among the four greatest for January at each site. In northern Ohio, the Cleveland office reported mostly 6 to 10 inches, with a narrower swath of 10 to 15 inches along and south of the US-30 corridor east of I-71. Farther south, the climate center reported its region's heaviest ice in West Virginia, where Charleston had 16 consecutive hours of freezing rain on January 25.

The Weather Prediction Center summaries carry the plain title Major January Winter Storm, so this page uses the dates.

Official snow totals at ten cities

Each total adds up the daily snowfall at the city's official National Weather Service station for January 24, 25 and 26, 2026. It is one number per city, measured at one site, most often the airport.

City	Official station	Snowfall, Jan. 24-26
Boston	Boston Logan International Airport	23.2 in
Providence	Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport	14.8 in
Columbus	John Glenn Columbus International Airport	12.2 in
Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh International Airport	11.8 in
New York	Central Park	11.4 in
Indianapolis	Indianapolis International Airport	11.1 in
Cincinnati	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport	10.2 in
Philadelphia	Philadelphia International Airport	9.3 in
St. Louis	St. Louis Lambert International Airport	8.2 in
Chicago	Chicago O'Hare International Airport	4.4 in

Chicago sat on the northern edge of the storm, which is why O'Hare's total is far below the Ohio Valley and New England. See how these storms fit each city's record in the snowfall history pages for Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Chicago, or compare the whole winter in winter 2025-26 snowfall totals.

Why the total at your property may differ

A storm this large changes character from one county to the next. A few reasons your own total can differ from the station in your city:

Narrow bands of heavy snow. Bands a few miles wide can add several inches to one neighborhood and miss the next.
Sleet and freezing rain. Where the storm mixed in sleet, a property closer to the mixing line collects less snow than one on the cold side.
Elevation and distance from the coast. Higher ground and inland towns stay colder than the shoreline.
How and when the snow was measured. A board cleared every six hours and a once-a-day reading can give different totals for the same storm, especially when snow settles or melts.

Get the total for your address

If you need the snow total for a specific street address, for an invoice, a claim or your own records, request a Free Snow Report. This storm fits in a single report, since a window can run up to three days.

Open the request page and verify your email.
Enter the street address, then choose January 24 through January 26, 2026.
Get the Verified Report and the Full Report by email.

Each verified email gets three free reports, then a report is $39. A ZIP pass covers many reports in one ZIP code for 12 months. See pricing. The insurance claims page explains how adjusters use a report.

About these numbers

Station totals are official National Weather Service observations, read through the NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS database and checked against the National Weather Service daily climate reports. Daily trace amounts count as zero. They describe one station per city, are not an estimate for an address and are not a certified copy of the record.

Questions people ask

How much snow did Boston get in the January 2026 storm?

At Boston Logan International Airport, the official station, snow totaled 23.2 inches for January 24 to 26, 2026, with 16.7 inches of it on January 25. Totals varied across the metro.

Which cities got the most snow from the January 24-26, 2026 storm?

Among ten large metros measured at official stations, Boston had the most at 23.2 inches, then Providence at 14.8, Columbus at 12.2, Pittsburgh at 11.8 and New York Central Park at 11.4. Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and St. Louis had 8.2 to 11.1 inches. Chicago had 4.4.

How much snow did Chicago get in the late January 2026 storm?

Chicago O'Hare measured 4.4 inches for January 24 to 26, 2026. The heavy snow fell farther south and east, from the Ohio Valley into New England.

What was the January 2026 winter storm called?

The Weather Prediction Center summaries for this storm carry a plain title, Major January Winter Storm. Some media outlets used their own names. This page uses the dates, January 24 to 26, 2026.

Why was the snow total at my house different from the airport?

Official totals are measured at one site, usually an airport. In a storm this large, snow can differ by several inches across a metro, with sleet or freezing rain mixing in at places south of the heaviest snow. A report for your street address calculates the total for your spot.

How do I get the snow total for my address for this storm?

Request a Free Snow Report at freesnowreport.com/request, enter the street address and set the dates to January 24 through 26, 2026. This storm fits in a single report, because a window can run up to three days. Each verified email gets three free reports, then a report is $39.

Sources

Request a snow report