Storm of January 2026
What's it like here at SET central?
As those who have monitored major news sources, much of the US has experienced the first part of an extended period of harsh weather as the last week of January 2026 began. After days of warnings, the storm arrived in my area overnight, continued through into the afternoon, and is promised to bring more precipitation before giving way to very cold conditions for the remainder of the week.
Here is a glimpse of the back yard that I can see from an east-facing window of my office (i.e., “SET Central”).

The storm’s snow was followed by mixed precipitation and it has packed the ice into a heavier mass. It’s going to be quite difficult to shovel. With the daytime temperatures continuing to stay below freezing, it’ll give those of us in central Virginia some experience with what people in other parts of the world are accustomed to: lots of ice.
Wherever you are, Dear Readers, hope you are safe and well. I know some of you have experienced this same storm (perhaps earlier than it got here, perhaps in even greater intensity than here), and I’m thinking about you, especially, when I send those hopes about security and health. If you’re in some lovely and summery areas of Earth (ahem…Dear Readers in OZ!), enjoy the weather!


Stay safe with all that shoveling. We ended up with 9.1 inches of snow (no ice that I'm aware of) in southwest Ohio. My campus is working remote today for which I am grateful. We are now in an extreme cold warning until tomorrow so I am hopeful that we will be remote again tomorrow.
Glad you’re safe. Bc I’m only about a a mile or 2 from you, as the crow flies, weather the same here. Not much snow, mostly sleet.