A powerful and unusual bomb cyclone and winter storm, unofficially referred to as Winter Storm Gianna by The Weather Channel and media outlets, brought heavy precipitation and gusty winds to the Southeastern United States and Virginia, mostly in the Carolinas from January 30 to February 1, 2026. It occurred just days after a previous winter storm caused severe impacts in some of the same regions. The storm was given an RSI number of 5.348, or a Category 2 "Minor" winter storm rating. Forming out of a shortwave trough that moved into the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean on January30, the storm gradually organized over the following day, before moving northeastwards and rapidly strengthened late on January31 into February1. The cyclone brought heavy snowfall accumulations of in the Carolinas with higher snowfall levels up to in western North Carolina. The storm was also the first storm to bring measurable snowfall in all 100 counties of North Carolina since a storm in 2014. Near-blizzard conditions and coastal flooding were also reported closest to the shore, damaging many properties. The storm went on to impact Canada with similar conditions on February2, before it moved out to the east into the northern Atlantic Ocean and dissipated on February 4.

North Carolina and Georgia declared states of emergencies while Virginia and South Carolina extended their states of emergencies from the previous storm. Snow began the night of January30 in parts of the Southeast. By 11:30a.m. on January31, Maggie Valley, North Carolina, and Greeneville, Tennessee, both ended up with of snow. At least 13 people were killed as a result of the storm, and damage was estimated to be near US$550 million.

Meteorological history

In late January2026, a storm was predicted to bring significant snowfall to the Southeast and was forecast to start on around January 30. The storm initially began to form as an extratropical low-pressure area from a large trough and upper-level cyclone in the jet stream over the Southeastern United States on January30. As the surface low developed, it and the upper-level cyclone began to pull moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northwards into the Southeastern United States. Snow began on the night of January30 in parts of the Southeast due to strengthening of the upper-level low. A nor'easter developed offshore of the Carolinas and began strengthening around January31. The Weather Prediction Center began issuing storm summaries for the system at 15:00UTC. The intensity of the precipitation increased and peaked during late January31 to early February1 in the region, due to an inverted trough combined with upslope flow. Snow began to taper off in the Southeast as the storm began to move northeastwardly away from the United States East Coast on February 1, being carried by the jet stream. While this was happening, the storm underwent rapid strengthening in the northwestern Atlantic. The storm continued causing gusty winds for the East Coast. As the storm moved away from the East Coast, the Weather Prediction Center issued its last storm summary on February 2 at 3:00UTC.

The system moved up offshore of Atlantic Canada on February2, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to Newfoundland as well as winter weather to Nova Scotia. It attained a pressure of by 18:00UTC just offshore of the Avalon Peninsula.

Preparations

United States The Hurricane Hunters flew an Air Force Reconnaissance C-130J from Biloxi, Mississippi, into the storm to gather data on January30. The storm was predicted by several weather models to bring heavy but localized snowfall to areas in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, mainly the Carolinas. Georgia governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on January30 for all counties in Georgia. Virginia extended its state of emergency from the previous storm.

The Carolinas South Carolina governor Henry McMaster extended the state of emergency declaration from the previous winter storm on January29. On January29, North Carolina governor Josh Stein declared a state of emergency. Parts of North Carolina Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island was closed on the morning of January31 ahead of the storm.

Canada Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for Nova Scotia on January31. An orange weather alert was issued for Newfoundland by Environment Canada on January31, as well as a yellow winter storm watch. By February1, up to of snow was forecasted for some areas. The Avalon Peninsula, Burin Peninsula, Clarenville, and some areas of central Newfoundland were under orange winter storm warnings. Other areas of central Newfoundland were under yellow winter storm warnings and up to was expected. Saint Bonaventure's College in St. John's cancelled class for February2.

Bermuda The Bermuda Weather Service issued a gale warning for the evening of January31, as the storm was expected to cause heavy precipitation and wind to the islands.

Impacts

United States Over 2,000 flights were cancelled by the afternoon of January31 and several Amtrak trains were cancelled or delayed. There were just under 190,000 power outages across the southeast by 7:30p.m. Snow flurries occurred in parts of Florida from ocean-effect snow. Light snow also occurred in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, as well as minor coastal flooding.

The Carolinas

Two crashes occurred in Gastonia, North Carolina, on the morning of January31, with one weather-related and the cause of the other is undisclosed. Later that afternoon Access GSO suspended its services due to hazardous conditions. 750 crashes were reported by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol from 12a.m. to 6p.m. on January31. A significant 100+ car pileup was reported on Interstate85 near Kannapolis. A driver died after striking a motor grader as well as three other occupants received injuries on January31 in Rutherford County. Another car collision killed one person in Robeson County. A 76-year-old man was killed in a side-by-side accident in Madison County. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to 132 accidents between the midnight of January31 and the morning of February1. Of those crashes, 14 had injuries. Lexington received of snow. Widespread power outages occurred, with 2,000 outages in Henderson County by the morning of February1.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport recorded of snow, tying with a December 1880 winter storm for the fourth-highest single-day snow total on January31.

One person was killed in a sledding accident in Abbeville County, South Carolina, on January31. Two people were killed in car accidents. One person died from hypothermia in Anderson County. A chunk of ice flew off of a car and hit the windshield of another, destroying it.

The storm delivered snowfall across parts of South Carolina, an unusual event given the typically mild winters in the state. Arctic air behind the system brought record-setting cold temperatures and dangerously low wind chills across the region. Roads were hazardous due to snow and ice, prompting advisories for residents to stay off roads unless travel was necessary. State authorities reported prioritizing major highway treatments and responding to hundreds of incidents (e.g., collisions, motorists needing assistance) between January 31and February1. ~3,000 Department of Transportation personnel for road treatment. Over 350 National Guard members and support vehicles for recovery and incident response efforts. 9 general population shelters opened across the state for residents unable to remain safely at home due to weather conditions.

Rest of the Southeast

Virginia State Police responded to 289 crashes between the morning of January30 to 11a.m. on February1, with 29 injuries, though not all crashes were weather-related. Three fatal crashes occurred, one in Greensville County and another in Fauquier County, and the third was non-weather-related in Dinwiddie County.

Over 500 flights were cancelled at Atlanta by 10:45a.m. on January31. Many crashes occurred, with one crash on I-985 causing minor injuries. 11,569 people lost power in North Georgia by 8:45p.m., 4,921 of which were in DeKalb County. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported three deaths across East Tennessee. An indirect weather-related fatality was reported in Greene County on February1. Sullivan and Washington counties each had one fatality.

The storm brought flurries as far south as South Florida, and the airmass that brought the flurries also brought record cold temperatures on February 1 to Miami and West Palm Beach.

Bermuda 2,298 BELCO customers lost power by 10p.m. on January31. Residents reported flooding in low-lying places due to heavy rain. All ferry services were cancelled by February 1.

Canada Some schools and universities in Nova Scotia were closed on February2. Public transit, municipal buildings, and recreational facilities ceased operations as well in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. A snowplow struck a woman at 6:30 a.m. Turo, killing her. Small vehicles on the off-ramps of Highway 125 got stuck. The Groundhog Day event at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park was cancelled. Dover saw of snow while fell across Cape Breton. Halifax saw around of snow.

Schools were closed in eastern and central Newfoundland for February2. Buses were kept off roads and municipal and all courts were closed in St. John's. The storm impacted the island on the morning of February2 with winds gusting to . This caused whiteout conditions and dangerous roads. Multiple vehicles were reported to be stuck by the Holyrood RCMP detachment prior to 10a.m. Then a lull in the storm occurred right before noon. The metro region of St. John's saw roughly of snow by noon. About 8,000 customers on the Avalon Peninsula lost power. St. John's recorded of snow. The storm ended at around 2a.m. on February3. Trepassey declared a state of emergency on February3 after debris and waves on a seaside road made it impossible to travel by car. Flights into the morning of February3 were cancelled at St. John's International Airport.

Caribbean The cold front resulted in gusts of in Cuba on January31. The winds led to flooding in the waterfront of Havana as well as the northern and western regions of Cuba on February1. Strong winds caused power outages to much of The Bahamas. Wind chills of prompted church leaders and volunteers gave out food, water, and blankets. The Cayman Islands suspended or restricted water sports and marine operations from January31 to February1 due to rough seas. Strong winds occurred in Jamaica.

In the wake of the storm, Cuba recorded its first-ever freeze, with a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) being recorded in Perico on the morning of February3.

See also January 2000 North American blizzard Weather of 2026

References

External links Weather Prediction Center Storm Summaries