CIRA Satellite Library

Multiple storm systems originating from the Pacific Ocean impacted North America in mid-to-late February, 2026.

Along the west coast, the barrage of storms brought heavy rainfall and flooding to California, with some locations witnessing new daily records for rainfall on February 16, 2026.

In the nearby higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, heavy snow fell in the mountains, resulting in whiteout conditions and the shutting down of roads. The rapid snowfall accumulation created a dangerous avalanche threat in the Sierra Nevada mountains due to the fresh, unstable snow. In the Lake Tahoe region, a group of backcountry skiers were trapped when a large avalanche occurred. Eight of the skiers lost their lives, making it the deadliest avalanche in modern California history. Snow total reports exceeded multiple feet in the mountains, with one station recording 111 inches (281.5 cm) between February 15-20.

Further east in the Rocky Mountains, states such as Utah and Colorado were forecasted to get much-needed reprieve with the winter weather. On February 1, 2026, the Western US was determined to have been experiencing the worst snowpack in decades, including record lows in several states.

The impact of the storms extended beyond the Western US, as winter weather descended upon the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions, with some parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota experiencing blizzard conditions.

The storms also brought high winds that wreaked havoc on the Plains. Swaths of blowing dust were kicked up as the winds blew through, resulting in a multi-car pileup in Colorado. On February 17, the Storm Prediction Center issued an extreme risk risk for the High Plains due to the presence of the strong winds combined with dry atmospheric conditions. Later that day, the combination of those two factors lead to the outbreak of several wildfires. One of the fires, the Ranger Road Fire in the Oklahoma panhandle, ignited and quickly grew to 15,000 acres in a few short hours.

On February 19, the Ohio River Valley was placed under an enhanced risk for severe weather. That afternoon, severe thunderstorms fired up in the Midwest, with the strongest storms moving through Illinois and Indiana. Three tornadoes in total touched down in Indiana, with the strongest being an EF-2 that impacted the city of Bloomington.

For more information, visit the Storm Prediction Center, Weather Prediction Center, and the National Weather Service.