Tempest News, January 2026

"January is here, with eyes that keenly glow,
A frost-mailed warrior
striding a shadowy steed of snow."
-  Edgar Fawcett

December Weather Summary

December’s weather spanned the extremes, with sharp cold snaps, winter storms, and pockets of unseasonable warmth across North America. Let's take a look at just two of those extremes, the highest and lowest recorded temperatures of the month. The highest recorded temperature brings no surprises coming from Plains, Texas at 95°F.

The lowest recorded temperature creeped to a frigid -31°F in Nevis, MN.

Data Look Back: Extreme Winds Swept the Western U.S.

Around mid-December, a strong jet stream pattern fueled extreme northwest winds across the western U.S., with gusts topping 50 mph from Washington to New Mexico and reaching nearly 90 mph near the Colorado–Wyoming border. In the Rockies, downslope winds brought warmer temperatures and rapidly drying air - a high-risk wildfire setup.

With drought already in place, some utilities took action to reduce ignition risk. Our utility customers used Tempest data to drive grid management decisions for the period of highly elevated wildfire weather red flag conditions.

The network view shown below highlights one of the most critical drivers: extreme wind speeds capable of rapidly spreading fire and increasing the risk of power line-related ignitions. When paired with sharp temperature changes and increasingly dry air, these conditions can escalate quickly. Near Cheyenne, Wyoming, that combination fueled a grass fire that led to evacuations before emergency crews quickly contained it.

This Month in Weather History

In January 1966, a major winter storm brought large parts of New York to a standstill and became one of the region’s most disruptive blizzards on record. Transportation systems shut down across western and central New York, with highways, airports, and rail service all heavily impacted. The Syracuse–Oswego area was hit especially hard, with snowfall near Oswego exceeding 100 inches, according to a meteorology professor at State University of New York at Oswego.

Powerful winds approaching 60 mph, frigid temperatures in the teens, and intense blowing snow created prolonged blizzard conditions. Some schools remained closed for an entire week, and total economic losses were estimated in the tens of millions - highlighting the far-reaching impacts of extreme winter weather.

Tempest in the Elements

This month's Tempest in the Elements comes from user Stefan S. Thanks Stefan! Want to be featured next? Tag us or use the hashtag #Tempestwx

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