A strong arctic cold front moved across west Texas and southeast New Mexico during the afternoon and evening hours of the 23rd. Meanwhile, a potent upper-level trough neared the region from the west.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.
A strong arctic cold front moved across west Texas and southeast New Mexico during the afternoon and evening hours of the 23rd. Meanwhile, a potent upper-level trough neared the region from the west. Widespread rain began during the morning of the 23rd in western portions of the area and gradually transitioned eastward through the day. As the front moved across the area, rain transitioned to sleet and snow from north to south (with freezing rain being more common south of the Pecos River and in the Davis Mountains). Off and on bands of sleet and snow continued across the Permian Basin and southeast New Mexico on the 24th, and became mostly snow by the 25th before moving east of the area late in the afternoon. Snowfall/sleet totals reached winter storm criteria across much of the northern basin and in southeast New Mexico. Lower snow and ice totals were reported further south.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 23, 11:44 AM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
1144 AM CST Fri Jan 23 2026
...New AVIATION...
.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 1131 AM CST Fri Jan 23 2026
- Significant winter storm with freezing rain, sleet, and snow to
cause widespread travel and infrastructure impacts beginning
later today lasting into Sunday morning.
- Dangerous temperatures and wind chills as low as 10 below zero
through the weekend into early next week could result in
hypothermia for people and animals.
- Very cold temperatures will increase the risk of broken pipes
and water damage as temperatures remain below freezing into
early next week.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Sunday afternoon)
Issued at 159 AM CST Fri Jan 23 2026
We've been talking about it all week, and the day is finally here.
Hopefully, everyone has completed preparations for the upcoming
winter storm and extreme cold, and if not, you have about 12 hours
left to do so.
Let's get into the current conditions (as of 1 AM CST) before we
detail the storm ahead. Clouds continue to increase across the
region this morning as southwesterly flow develops aloft ahead of an
upper trough moving onshore along Baja. There are even a few echoes
on radar across portions of the I-20 corridor. There have yet to be
any reports of anything reaching the ground yet as there is still
quite a bit of dry air to fight through in the lower levels (per the
00Z MAF sounding). Light easterly flow at the surface is helping to
bring low level moisture west as evidenced by dewpoints in the mid
to upper 40s at ABI. The much anticipated cold front currently
resides in the PH very near AMA. This is on track with latest
guidance which shows the front slowly progressing south through the
rest of tonight before shoving south at a faster pace after sunrise.
Once the front arrives, temperatures will fall quickly into the 30s
and it won't stop there. Since it's less important when the front
will arrive, let's discuss the freezing line instead. Based on the
current forecast, freezing temperatures are expected to reach a line
from Tatum to Lamesa to Snyder Noon-2 PM CST, Hobbs to Andrews to
Big Spring 2-4 PM CST, Artesia to Odessa/Midland to Big Lake 4-6 PM
CST, Carlsbad to Pecos to McCamey 6-8 PM, and Pine Springs to Fort
Stockton by midnight. Scattered showers are expected through the
morning as the atmosphere continues to moisture with a gradual
increase in precipitation coverage and intensity after about noon.
Precipitation is expected to remain liquid through the morning,
changing to freezing rain once temperatures fall below 32 degrees.
Some sleet pellets or graupel could mix in within the heavier
showers. As precipitation continues through the night and the
freezing line moves further south, conditions will go downhill
quickly. The main concern continues to be freezing rain
accumulations, especially on power lines and trees. The current
forecast shows >.25" of ice across much of the area along and north
of I-10. These amounts have the potential to cause major
infrastructure issues to power lines and eventually roads as
temperatures fall into the teens and 20s through Friday night.
A break in the heavier precipitation is possible much of the day
Saturday with light freezing rain or sleet continuing to accumulate.
Temperatures will struggle to warm Saturday with highs only climbing
a degree or two through the day. Further south across the Big Bend,
precipitation will likely remain rain as temperatures stay above
freezing. Another round of heavy precipitation is anticipated late
Saturday into Sunday morning bringing a mix of freezing rain and
sleet for locations along and north of I-10. Snow will begin to mix
in by Saturday night across SE NM and the Guadalupe Mountains. As
the storm system passes Sunday morning, most locations will switch
over the snow, with sleet further south along the I-10 corridor.
Temperatures Sunday morning will drop into the single digits and
teens with dangerous wind chills near 0 degrees. A few peaks of sun
are possible by Sunday afternoon, but temperatures remain cold with
most locations staying below freezing. With these dangerous
temperatures have upgraded to an Extreme Cold Warning along and
north of I-10 with a Cold Weather Advisory to the south.
&&
.LONG TERM...
(Sunday night through Thursday)
Issued at 159 AM CST Fri Jan 23 2026
Very cold temperatures are expected Sunday night into Monday morning
with lows in the single digits and teens. This will allow any
melting that may have occurred Sunday to refreeze, especially on
untreated roadways. The current forecast calls for temperatures to
rise above freezing Monday afternoon, but this could be too
optimistic and will greatly depend on how much ice and snow remain
on the ground.
Northwest flow aloft and ice and snow cover will hamper any major
warmup next week, but sunny skies should continue to melt off what
is left. While that is a good thing, temperatures will fall below
freezing each night, causing refreezing issues on roads where
moisture remains. By midweek, weak mid level ridging settles
overhead helping temperatures recover back into the 40s/50s.
&&
.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1131 AM CST Fri Jan 23 2026
A strong cold front is approaching the northern most terminals and
is expected to bring 15-20 kts sustained with gusts up to 25 kts
this afternoon and early evening across most terminals. IFR/LIFR
CIGs and VIS are anticipated as well through the afternoon. As the
cold air arrives behind the aforementioned front, -RA will
transition to -FZRA with HOB/MAF/INK seeing this transition the
earliest in the late afternoon to early evening hours. After 06Z,
confidence is increasing in a mix of sleet and freezing rain
occurring at MAF and HOB, along with -FZRA beginning at PEQ.
Heavier bands of this mix may reduce CIGs to LIFR conditions
especially at HOB and MAF sites during this timeframe. Frequent
updates will likely be needed as precipitation type/timing
changes.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Big Spring 50 14 21 10 / 80 90 90 90
Carlsbad 48 24 29 16 / 90 70 90 100
Dryden 68 31 37 21 / 30 90 80 80
Fort Stockton 64 24 30 16 / 40 80 90 90
Guadalupe Pass 51 27 30 15 / 90 90 90 90
Hobbs 47 16 22 10 / 90 80 100 100
Marfa 64 33 48 24 / 50 80 90 90
Midland Intl Airport 51 17 21 12 / 80 90 100 90
Odessa 51 17 21 12 / 80 90 90 100
Wink 52 22 25 15 / 80 80 100 100
&&
.MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...Winter Storm Warning until noon CST /11 AM MST/ Sunday for
Andrews-Borden-Central Brewster-Crane-Davis Mountains-Davis
Mountains Foothills-Dawson-Eastern Culberson-Ector-Gaines-
Glasscock-Guadalupe Mountains Above 7000 Feet-Guadalupe and
Delaware Mountains-Howard-Loving-Martin-Midland-Mitchell-
Pecos-Reagan-Reeves County Plains-Scurry-Terrell-Upton-Van
Horn and Highway 54 Corridor-Ward-Winkler.
Extreme Cold Warning from midnight CST /11 PM MST/ tonight to
noon CST /11 AM MST/ Monday for Andrews-Borden-Crane-Dawson-
Eastern Culberson-Ector-Gaines-Glasscock-Guadalupe
Mountains Above 7000 Feet-Guadalupe and Delaware Mountains-
Howard-Loving-Martin-Midland-Mitchell-Pecos-Reagan-Reeves
County Plains-Scurry-Terrell-Upton-Ward-Winkler.
Dense Fog Advisory until 1 PM CST this afternoon for Borden-
Howard-Mitchell-Scurry.
Cold Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to noon CST Monday
for Central Brewster-Chinati Mountains-Chisos Basin-Davis
Mountains-Davis Mountains Foothills-Lower Brewster County-
Marfa Plateau-Presidio Valley-Van Horn and Highway 54
Corridor.
NM...Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST Sunday for Central Lea-Eddy
County Plains-Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County-Northern
Lea-Southern Lea.
Extreme Cold Warning from 11 PM this evening to 11 AM MST Monday
for Central Lea-Eddy County Plains-Guadalupe Mountains of
Eddy County-Northern Lea-Southern Lea.
&&
SHORT TERM...29
LONG TERM....29
AVIATION...11The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 winter weather, 5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A member of the public reported a two day sleet/snow total of 3 inches of snow and 1 inch of sleet. The report was received via social media. The total duration of the event is estimated from AWOS data and radar.
A member of the public reported a storm total sleet/snow amount of 4.0 inches. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar and nearby AWOS reports.
A member of the public reported a two day snow/sleet accumulation of 2.5 inches via social media. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar and nearby AWOS/ASOS reports.
A member of the public reported 4.5 inches of storm total snow/sleet. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar and nearby AWOS reports.
Local law enforcement reported 1.9 inches of snow via Slack. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar and nearby AWOS reports.
A two-day snow/sleet depth of 2.5 inches was reported via a CoCoRaHS site. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar and nearby AWOS reports.
A snow depth of 1.7 inches was reported via a CoCoRaHS site. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar and ASOS reports.
A snow depth of 1.8 inches was reported via a CoCoRaHS site. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar and ASOS reports.
NWS employees measured a two day snow/sleet accumulation of 2.8 inches during the morning of the 25th. The start time of the event is partially estimated via ASOS reports and radar.
Delayed report: A snow/sleet storm total of 3.1 inches was measured by NWS employees at the office. Received 0.1 inches of sleet on 1/23, 1.9 inches of mostly snow on the 24th, and 1.1 inches of snow on the 25th. The total duration of the event is partially estimated via ASOS reports and radar.
Odessa Fire/Rescue reported 2.2 inches of sleet/snow via Slack during the morning of the 25th. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar and nearby ASOS reports.
A member of the public reported 1 inch of snow north of Pecos on Facebook. The total duration of the event is estimated from AWOS data and radar.
Reeves County Fire/Rescue reported 3 accidents on US Highway 285 North due to black ice at 9:42 PM CST on 1/24. The start and end times of the full winter weather event are estimated by radar. The cost of damages are also estimated.
Staff at Guadalupe Mountains National Park reported 6.0 inches of snow/sleet. The total duration of the event is estimated from radar.
A member of the public reported 0.1 inch of ice due to heavy freezing rain. Thunder was reported and GLM satellite imagery showed cloud-to-cloud lightning during the time of the report. The total duration of the winter weather event is estimated from AWOS data and radar.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, January 2026
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1306487, 1306504, 1306492, 1306501, 1306507, 1306500, 1306493, 1306494, 1306497, 1306499, 1306503, 1306488, 1306510, 1306505, 1306490.