Virginia, 2026

Extreme Cold and Cold in Virginia, January 19 to 20, 2026

January 19 to 20, 2026 · NWS LWX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Arctic air behind a cold front ushered in dangerously cold wind chills of -15 to -25F for Extreme Cold areas and -10 to -18F for the Cold Weather areas. Winds gusted up to 35 mph at times.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.

Arctic air behind a cold front ushered in dangerously cold wind chills of -15 to -25F for Extreme Cold areas and -10 to -18F for the Cold Weather areas. Winds gusted up to 35 mph at times.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 cold/wind chill, 1 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Virginia Blue Ridge

When
January 19, 8:00 PM EST to January 20, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Virginia Blue Ridge forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.573, -78.412 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Central Virginia Blue Ridge

When
January 19, 8:00 PM EST to January 20, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Central Virginia Blue Ridge forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
37.879, -79.034 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Eastern Highland

When
January 19, 8:00 PM EST to January 20, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Eastern Highland forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
38.362, -79.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Western Highland

When
January 19, 8:00 PM EST to January 20, 1:00 PM EST
Where
Western Highland forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
38.362, -79.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Virginia in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, January 2026

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1305757, 1305758, 1305759, 1305760.