Winter 2026 was the coldest and snowiest in almost a decade

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Winter 2026 is officially in the books, and it was the coldest and snowiest season since 2018. December through February brought 64 inches of snow, near‑normal but colder‑leaning temperatures, and five nights below zero.

If you followed our Winter Knockout, the numbers and the narrative lined up well. Winter showed up — and won this fight.

The first punch landed before the bell, with a burst of lake‑effect snow in late November that set up one of the coldest starts to December in 20 years. That early aggression was also the part of the forecast that missed slightly, as winter eased up through Christmas and early January.

The pattern flipped late in the month. January finished cold and very snowy, piling up more than 38 inches — one of the 10 snowiest Januarys on record. February had the potential to be a true knockout if a storm had arrived before Valentine’s Day. Instead, the pattern went quiet, and midmonth melting cut into the totals.

Winter still had some fight left at the end of February. The seasonal total pushed past 60 inches, a benchmark for a truly snowy winter in Michiana — and one that’s becoming less common as the climate warms.

This winter didn’t end in a classic knockout, but it earned a TKO. Statistically, it may be one of the coldest and snowiest winters we’ll see for a while.