January 2025 North American cold wave

The January 2025 North American cold wave was an extreme weather event that brought extremely cold temperatures to a majority of the Lower 48 of the continental United States, as well as the countries of Canada and Mexico as well throughout most of January 2025. It was the coldest January in much of the continent, especially the U.S., in at least a decade, bringing temperatures as much as 20–35 °F (11.1–19.4 °C) below average to a majority of the country. Originating from the southward migration of the polar vortex after an arctic front passed through the continent in early January, the pattern persisted for much of the month, bringing a wide swath of wintry weather across the Lower 48 of the U.S., allowing snow and ice to accumulate in regions that do not see it much at all in the Deep South.

Though similar in extent to a previous cold wave in 2021, it was not as record-breaking within the central United States, but freezing temperatures reached as far south as the Gulf Coast, breaking many temperature records there, especially in the state of Louisiana. The cold weather is estimated to have caused at least US$500 million in damages, and at least 18 deaths directly or indirectly attributed to the cold or winter weather.