The 2026–27 North American winter is the winter that will occur during late 2026 to early 2027 in North America. The winter season began early with a rare September nor'easter that affected the United States East Coast. The 2026 to 2027 "Super" El Niño event is forecast to influence weather patterns across the North American continent during the season.
While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, there are two definitions of winter which may be used. Based on the astronomical definition, winter begins at the winter solstice, which in 2026 will occur on December 21, and ends at the March equinox, which in 2027 will occur on March 20. Based on the meteorological definition, the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28. Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months, with some variability. Winter is often defined by meteorologists to be the three calendar months with the lowest average temperatures. Since both definitions span the calendar year, it is possible to have a winter storm spanning two different years.
Seasonal forecasts
Seasonal summary
Events
Late September nor'easter
A rare early season nor'easter formed on September 23. On September 25 a 70 mph (110 kmh) gust was recorded in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The next day a tree fell and killed a man, another fell and injured at least four people in Brooklyn. 200,000 customers lost power because of the storm.
Season effects
References
External links
2026 Storm Summaries from the Weather Prediction Center