Checking the weather is basically a reflex now. You wake up, squint at your phone, and decide if you need the heavy parka or just a light shell. But this past Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the atmosphere decided to get weird. Depending on where you stood on the map, you were either basking in unseasonable warmth or dodging a literal flood.
Weather isn't just about a number. It's about how that number feels when the wind hits 100 km/h or when the sun finally breaks through a week of fog. Tuesday was a day of massive contrast. While folks in the Southeastern U.S. were enjoying "near-unlimited sunshine," a major winter storm was busy shutting down airports and flooding tunnels in the Middle East.
The US Heat vs. The Northern Chill
Honestly, the U.S. national summary for Tuesday felt like two different planets. If you were in Florida or the Mid-Atlantic, you probably didn't even think twice about the cold. In places like Jacksonville, Florida, the high hit a comfortable 66°F. Not exactly beach weather for the locals, but definitely a win for January.
Further north, things got a bit more stagnant. High pressure basically locked a dome of quiet, dry air over much of the country. But don't let "quiet" fool you. In the Finger Lakes region of New York, residents woke up to temps in the upper 20s, eventually crawling into the low 40s by the afternoon. It was overcast, grey, and felt exactly like mid-winter should—minus the actual snow.
A Quick Glance at Tuesday's Highs and Lows
- Cheyenne, Wyoming: Windy as heck. Highs near 57°F with gusts hitting 40 mph.
- Kolkata, India: A beautiful winter day there, reaching 26°C (79°F) with zero chance of rain.
- Casper, Wyoming: Breezy and sunny, topping out around 52°F.
- Savoy, France: Up in the mountains (Val d'Isère), it was a crisp -5°C (23°F) in town at breakfast time, warming to a high of 4°C (39°F).
The Storm That Actually Made Headlines
If you want to know what was the temp on Tuesday in terms of "extreme," you have to look at Israel. While Americans were dealing with "dry and stagnant" air, a massive winter storm swept across the Mediterranean.
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Heavy rain turned roads into rivers. In Jerusalem, the temperature hovered in the chilly low-to-mid teens (Celsius), but the real story was the 41 millimeters of rain that fell on the city. Down on the coast in Ashkelon, wind gusts peaked at a staggering 103 km/h. That’s not just a "breeze." That's the kind of wind that knocks over patio furniture and shuts down Haifa's airport.
Up on Mount Hermon, the temp dropped low enough to dump 15 centimeters of fresh snow overnight. Authorities had to keep the ski site closed because the conditions were just too dangerous.
Why the Warmth Felt So Different
There's this thing called "relative warmth." In Columbus County, North Carolina, Tuesday felt like a gift because Monday had been "ccccold" (as the locals put it). The high hit near 60°F, which was about 10 degrees milder than the day before.
When you're tracking what was the temp on Tuesday, you have to account for the dew point and humidity. In places like Bermuda, the high was 19°C (66°F), but with 70% humidity, it felt significantly heavier than the dry 54°F air blowing through Riverton, Wyoming.
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Health Risks Nobody Talked About
Kinda surprisingly, the weather on Tuesday brought some health warnings that weren't related to frostbite. In the Cobb County, Georgia area, the National Weather Service actually issued a hazardous weather outlook for fire danger. Why? Because it was sunny, reaching 56°F, but the air was so dry that a stray spark could have started a brush fire.
Meanwhile, in Kolkata, the concern wasn't fire—it was the air you breathe. Despite the lovely 19°C average temp, the AQI (Air Quality Index) was in the "poor" category. The lack of wind meant all the pollution just sat there, trapped near the ground. It’s a reminder that a "nice" temperature doesn't always mean "healthy" air.
The "La Niña" Shadow
The big-picture reason for all this weirdness? We are currently in a La Niña cycle.
According to global weather hazard reports for early 2026, La Niña is driving heavy rainfall in Southern Africa and western Colombia, while leaving parts of Central Asia abnormally dry. This global pattern is why we’re seeing these massive swings—like Wyoming being nearly as warm as parts of the South, while the Middle East gets hammered by a freak winter storm.
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What You Should Do Now
Knowing what the temp was on Tuesday helps you spot the trends for the rest of the week. If you're in the Eastern U.S., that "milder" Tuesday was actually the calm before the storm. A cold front is currently sweeping in, and by Thursday night, temps are expected to crater into the upper teens.
Actionable Steps for the Rest of the Week:
- Check your tire pressure: Drastic drops in temperature (like the one coming Thursday) will cause your "low pressure" light to pop on.
- Hydrate your skin: The stagnant, dry high-pressure air currently sitting over the Plains and Midwest is a nightmare for your skin barrier.
- Watch the wind: If you’re in a coastal area that saw high gusts on Tuesday, check your roof and gutters for debris before the next system hits on Wednesday night.
- Layer up: Since we're seeing 20-degree swings between morning and afternoon, the "onion method" (thin base, insulating middle, shell outer) is your best friend.
Tuesday showed us that January in 2026 isn't just about being cold—it's about being unpredictable. Keep an eye on those local barometric shifts; they're telling a much bigger story than the thermometer alone.