La Niña winter put on pause as January outlook features warmer, wetter weather

The archetypal period of the caller twelvemonth is apt to beryllium warmer and wetter than we've seen successful the little 48 truthful acold this wintertime season, arsenic the January upwind outlook shows the La Niña wintertime that brought acold temperatures and snowfall taking a break. 

Instead of snow and bitterly acold temperatures similar the state has seen truthful far, rainfall and warmer, above-average temperatures instrumentality over.

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The federation already got a preview of this setup successful precocious December, with wide grounds warmth and historical rainfall successful California, and this signifier is apt to persist and grow successful the weeks ahead, the FOX Forecast Center said. 

A much persistent dip successful the pitchy watercourse crossed the Pacific and the West is driving the displacement successful weather, funneling a dependable parade of storms into the West Coast. 

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Warmer aerial is expected to surge up of these storms, warming things up crossed parts of the little 48. 

The archetypal 2 weeks of the period amusement warmer temperatures and above-average precipitation for astir of the country. 

See ya aboriginal snow

The La Niña wintertime truthful acold has created above-average snowfall for the season, breaking records.

Lake-effect snowfall creates whiteout conditions successful Syracuse, NY connected Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. 

(Katie Byrne / FOX Weather)

Syracuse, New York saw their second-snowiest December time ever connected Dec. 30, with much than 78 inches of snowfall truthful acold successful the 2025-26 wintertime season. 

In summation to the dense snowfall, arctic aerial plunged temperatures crossed the state successful November and December. 

Cold aerial stretched arsenic acold southbound arsenic Florida successful aboriginal November, starring to cold-stunned iguanas falling from trees arsenic temperatures deed the 40s. 

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Florida iguanas "cold-stunned" by grounds debased temperatures

 A frozen iguana was spotted successful Boca Raton, Florida Tuesday, arsenic the coldest aerial of the play dispersed crossed the eastbound U.S., mounting respective debased temperatures crossed the Sunshine State. The phenomenon—known arsenic "cold-stunning"—occurs erstwhile temperatures driblet into the 40s, and cold-blooded animals similar iguanas suffer the quality to determination their muscles.

Arctic blasts of aerial combined with upwind chills brought below-zero temperatures to overmuch of the state successful aboriginal December. 

Will it last? 

The FOX Forecast Center said it's unclear however agelong the warmer and wetter temperatures volition past beyond the archetypal 2 weeks of January. 

Sidewalk Scene successful Winter, New York City, New York, USA. February 2014.

(Education Images/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)

There's a accidental the state trends backmost into near-average conditions with a anticipation of a La Niña wintertime signifier returning. 

If this does happen, the FOX Forecast Center said, temperatures are apt to instrumentality to beneath mean successful the Midwest and Northeast. 

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Unfortunately for parts of the West, this would apt support the portion stuck successful above-average temperatures, which is acold from perfect aft a record-warm December. As a result, the Rockies are expected to proceed falling further down successful presumption of snowpack, deepening the existing snowfall deficit.

Only clip volition archer if we spot a La Niña setup for the remainder of the wintertime oregon if this is the sanction of the crippled starring into spring.