MarketJanuary 30 – February 2, 2026 nor'easter
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January 30 – February 2, 2026 nor'easter

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 January 30, the storm gradually organized over the following day, before moving northeastwards and rapidly strengthened late on January 31 into February 1. The cyclone brought heavy snowfall accumulations of up to 13–18 inches (33–46 cm) in the Carolinas, becoming the region's heaviest snowstorm in many years. The storm also led to the first time there was 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 February 2, before it moved out to the east into the northern Atlantic Ocean and dissipated on February 4.

Meteorological history
During late January 2026, meteorologists predicted that a storm would bring significant snowfall to the Southeast and would start on around January 30. A nor'easter developed offshore of the Carolinas by January 31 and began strengthening. The Weather Prediction Center began issuing storm summaries at 15:00 UTC. The intensity of the precipitation increased and peaked during late January 31 to early February 1 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, 2026, being carried by a trough. While this happened, the storm underwent rapid strengthening due to differences in sea surface temperatures in the northern Atlantic. The system moved up offshore of Atlantic Canada on February 2, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to Newfoundland as well as winter weather to Nova Scotia. == Preparations ==
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. 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. An orange weather alert was issued for Newfoundland by Environment Canada on January31, as well as a yellow winter storm watch. By February 1, 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 February 2. 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 ==
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. 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. 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 January 31. 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. 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 Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. 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. 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 February 2. 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 February 2. 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 February 2 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 10 a.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 2 a.m. on February 3. Trepassey declared a state of emergency on February 3 after debris and waves on a seaside road made it impossible to travel by car. Flights into the morning of February 3 were cancelled at St. John's International Airport. The winds led to flooding in the waterfront of Havana as well as the northern and western regions of Cuba on February 1. 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 January 31 to February 1 due to rough seas. Strong winds occurred in Jamaica. == See also ==
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