You’ve probably seen the headlines about the "Polar Vortex" every single time the mercury drops below thirty. Honestly, it’s become a bit of a cliché. But today, Thursday, January 15, 2026, that phrase actually carries some weight. If you're waking up in the Upper Midwest or near the Great Lakes, you don't need a meteorologist to tell you it's brutal out there.
The lowest temperature in the united states today is hovering in a range that makes your nostrils stick together the second you step outside. We are looking at a national low of 9°F across the broader continental U.S. landscape, though local pockets in the high elevations of the Rockies and the northern tier are seeing single digits and even sub-zero wind chills that feel closer to 6°F.
It’s a weird day for weather, basically.
Where is the cold actually hitting?
While the official forecast for the "United States" as a generalized location shows a low of 9°F for today, the real story is the "clipper storm" dropping down from Canada. This isn't just one cold spot; it's a massive corridor of Canadian air. According to the National Weather Service, this system is dragging wintry weather from the Upper Midwest straight into the Great Lakes.
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If you are in places like Minnesota or Northern Wisconsin, "chilly" is an understatement. The wind is coming out of the west at about 12 mph, which doesn't sound like much until you realize it’s pushing that 9-degree air right through your "winter-proof" jacket.
Funny enough, Florida is having a crisis of its own. It’s not -9 degrees there, obviously, but meteorologists like David Nazario are pointing out a bizarre connection between tropical low-pressure systems near Baja California and the freezing warnings popping off in Central Florida. It turns out the globe is just one big, interconnected mess of air currents.
Breaking down the numbers
- Current Temperature: 14°F (as of late evening)
- Today's Absolute Low: 9°F
- Feels Like: 6°F with the wind chill
- Wind Speed: 12 mph (West)
- Humidity: 46% (That dry, itchy-skin kind of air)
Why it’s so hard to break records now
You’d think with how miserable it feels, we’d be shattering records left and right. Not really. Experts from the Washington Post and the Climate Prediction Center have noted that while we’re hitting these deep freezes, breaking absolute historical lows is getting tougher.
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The "January thaw" we just had—which was weirdly warm for a lot of the country—finally snapped. Now we’re back in the familiar arms of a polar vortex pattern. In D.C., people are struggling to even hit the freezing mark, and down in Lakeland, Florida, they’re eyeing a potential record low of 29°F for Friday morning.
But for the rest of us? We’re just dealing with a standard, albeit very aggressive, mid-January freeze.
The "Third Wave" is coming
If you think 9°F is bad, just wait. Forecasters are already looking at a "third wave" of Arctic air that’s supposed to be even harsher. We are talking about potential subzero temperatures for roughly 40 million people from Minnesota to Maine by next week.
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Some worst-case scenarios are whispering about -30°F in the Upper Midwest. That’s "don't leave your house or your car will die" kind of cold.
What you actually need to do
Honestly, the "actionable advice" usually given is to wear layers. You know that. But here’s what people actually forget when the lowest temperature in the united states today starts hitting these levels:
- Check your tire pressure. Cold air makes the pressure drop, and there's nothing worse than a "low tire" light when it's 9 degrees out.
- Open the cabinets. If your kitchen pipes are on an exterior wall, let them breathe some of that indoor heat.
- Humidity is your friend. Since the humidity is tanking to 46% and lower, a humidifier will stop you from waking up with a throat that feels like you swallowed sandpaper.
- Watch the wind. A 12 mph wind at 9°F is significantly more dangerous than a 0 mph wind at 0°F.
The jet stream is currently doing a deep southward dip. This is funneling that Arctic air deeper into the country than usual, which is why even the Deep South is looking at rain-to-snow transitions this coming weekend. For today, stay inside if you can. The "clipper" isn't done with us yet.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check your local National Weather Service (NWS) office for specific "Hard Freeze" warnings if you are in the Southeast, as the cold front is moving rapidly. If you are in the Midwest, ensure your vehicle's antifreeze levels are rated for at least -20°F to prepare for the intensifying cold wave expected by early next week.