Honestly, if you feel like the atmosphere has been throwing a collective tantrum lately, you aren't imagining things. The last 30 days weather has been a bizarre, whiplash-inducing mix of record-shattering heat in some spots and brutal, deep-freeze anomalies in others. We’ve seen January rain in places that should be buried in snow, and heatwaves so intense they're literally killing wildlife by the thousands.
It's messy.
Take the U.S. Midwest, for example. On January 8th and 9th, Chicago didn't just break a record; it absolutely demolished it. O'Hare Airport clocked 1.92 inches of rain in a single day. That sounds like a drizzle if you're in Seattle, but for a Chicago January? It’s the third rainiest January day in recorded history. Usually, that moisture would be a foot of snow. Instead, people were dealing with 60°F temperatures and street flooding at 79th and Wood Street.
The Snow Drought and the Warm West
While the Midwest was drowning in unseasonable rain, the Western U.S. has been staring at brown mountains. As of early January 2026, snow cover across the West hit a record low—the lowest since satellite tracking began in 2001.
We're talking about roughly 141,000 square miles of "missing" snow.
In states like New Mexico, 95% of SNOTEL monitoring stations are reporting a "snow drought." This isn't just a bummer for skiers who found resorts closed or limited to a few slushy runs. It's a massive problem for water security. That snow is supposed to be our natural reservoir, slowly melting into the rivers come spring. Without it, the Colorado River Basin is looking at a very thirsty summer.
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A Quick Look at the Numbers:
- New Mexico: 95% of stations in snow drought.
- Colorado: 85% of stations in snow drought.
- Chicago: Hit 60°F on January 9th, tying a record from 1880.
- California: Large swaths received over 200% of normal rain but barely any high-altitude snow.
Europe's Arctic Punch
Across the Atlantic, the story is the exact opposite. While Americans were wearing light jackets, Europe got slammed by a "Greenland Block." Basically, a massive high-pressure system over Greenland acted like a bouncer, forcing Arctic air to move south into the heart of the continent.
Storm Johannes kicked things off in the Nordic countries, tragically claiming three lives in Sweden.
By the first week of January, temperature anomalies were hitting 10°C to 15°C below average in parts of Germany, Poland, and France. The UK wasn't spared either. Storm Goretti ripped through Cornwall, leaving thousands without power and water. In a particularly heartbreaking update, the Cornish beauty spot lost 80% of its trees to the wind.
The Highlands saw 30cm of snow and temperatures dipping below -10°C. It’s been a brutal stretch for energy grids and infrastructure.
Australia is Breaking
Down under, the last 30 days weather has been nothing short of apocalyptic. If you want to see the "hottest place on Earth," look at the Australian interior right now.
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In early January, temperatures surged past 45°C (113°F).
Melbourne hit 42.9°C, and Sydney followed suit with a punishing heatwave. The impact on the ecosystem is devastating. Reports from January 12th confirmed a mass-mortality event for flying foxes, with thousands dying from heat stress. It’s the worst mortality event for the species since the "Black Summer" of 2019-20.
At the same time, the north is drowning. Tropical system Koji pounced on Queensland, bringing "a serious amount of rain" that threatened to isolate some communities for months. It’s the classic Australian paradox: the south is on fire (with an out-of-control blaze at Longwood, Victoria), while the north is under feet of water.
What’s Actually Driving This?
Experts like Marko Korosec from Severe Weather Europe and forecasters at NOAA point to a few key culprits.
First, La Niña is present. Usually, that means certain predictable patterns, but this year, it’s being bullied by a very active Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). The MJO is like a pulse of clouds and rain that moves around the equator. When it’s in "Phase 8," like it was recently, it tends to favor those massive cold outbreaks in Europe and the U.S. East Coast.
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Then there's the Polar Vortex.
In mid-January, we saw a major Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event. When the stratosphere warms up rapidly, it can actually "break" the polar vortex, causing it to spill its cold air into the mid-latitudes instead of keeping it bottled up at the North Pole. That’s why we’re seeing these weird "legs" of cold air reaching down into the U.S. and Europe while other areas stay weirdly mild.
Actionable Insights for the Next 30 Days
The last 30 days weather shows that "normal" is a moving target. Here is how you should handle the volatility:
- Check Your "Snow Water Equivalent" (SWE): If you live in the Western U.S., don't look at the rain gauge; look at the SWE data on Drought.gov. Rain doesn't help the summer water supply the way snow does. Start thinking about water conservation now.
- Insulate for Extremes: Europe’s cold snap proved that energy demand can spike in hours. If you haven't checked your home’s insulation or pipe protection, do it before the next Arctic leg drops.
- Fire and Flood Prep: In Australia or the U.S. West, keep your "Go Bag" ready. The transition from extreme heat to tropical deluge can happen in a 48-hour window.
- Follow the Stratosphere: If you hear meteorologists talking about "Sudden Stratospheric Warming," expect a major pattern shift about two weeks later. It's the best long-range warning we have for big freezes.
The atmosphere is currently in a state of high-energy transition. We are moving away from the stagnant patterns of early winter and into a much more chaotic, wind-driven phase. Keep an eye on the MJO transitions, as they will likely dictate whether the end of January brings a return to the "Big Freeze" or another round of unseasonable, rainy warmth.