Weather of 2026


The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2026.

Deadliest events

Types

Cold snaps and winter storms

From January 22-27, a deadly winter storm affected Northern Mexico, United States and Atlantic Canada, causing many warnings, freezing temperatures and more than 146 deaths over the area. On January 28, the storm moved out to the open Atlantic Ocean.

Tornadoes

January

On January 4, a tornado struck the Frattocchie area in Marino, Italy after reportedly coming from the sea. 30 trees were downed, and several structures and vehicles sustained damage. The tornado was rated as an IF1.5 on the International Fujita Scale. A few days later, a small tornado event occurred in Oklahoma early on January 8, with 5 tornadoes being confirmed, one of which was rated EF2 after it tore the roof off of a house southwest of Purcell. This tornado caused one injury along its path when it rolled a semi-truck as it crossed Interstate 35 in the southern part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. That day, a significant tornado struck the town of Kalpaki, Greece. The tornado destroyed a farm killing 30,000-40,000 chickens. Two other buildings were heavily damaged, with partially collapsed walls, the tornado was rated as an IF2 tornado on the International Fujita Scale Two days later, a tornado struck the city of São José dos Pinhais, Brazil. The tornado wrecked a warehouse and damaged at least 350 homes, as well as several walls, utility poles, and trees. An estimated 1200 people were impacted, with two families being displaced and two people lightly injured. The winds reached an estimated, and the tornado rated a low-end F2.

Tropical and subtropical cyclones

Extratropical cyclones and European windstorms

Storm Anna caused widespread chaos at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, particularly on January 2, 2026, where a combination of heavy snow and shifting crosswinds led to the cancellation of over 325 flights and delayed more than 635 others. The disruption at Schiphol hit KLM and easyJet hardest, with KLM alone cancelling roughly 30% of its schedule due to the airport's reduced runway capacity. The storm brought wind gusts of up to 90 km/h along the northern coast of the Netherlands. In Sweden, Meteorologists recorded extreme accumulations, with up to 50 centimetres of snow falling in parts of central Sweden on New Year's Day and January 2, leaving thousands of households without power. In the Netherlands and Germany, the storm’s tail end brought freezing rain and black ice, leading to hazardous road conditions and the deployment of specialized snow removal equipment like the Lavastorm truck on major highways. Meanwhile, in Poland, the storm’s heavy snow paralyzed the S7 motorway, leaving hundreds of travelers stranded in sub-zero temperatures with traffic jams stretching up to 20 kilometres.

Wildfires

Australia

On January 7, extreme conditions in Victoria, Australia allowed for a massive fire outbreak, burning over 300,000 hectares, destroying over 300 structures, and resulting in one death.

Chile

From 16 January 2026, major wildfires burned in the regions of Biobío and Ñuble, destroying at least 800 structures, resulting in over 50,000 forced to evacuate and 21 fatalities.

Heatwaves

In late January, much of Australia experienced a prolonged, extreme heatwave, with 12 locations recording temperatures above 49°C, and two, Andamooka and Port Augusta reaching 50°C on 29 and 30 January.

Timeline

January