February 2026 Winter Storm Gianna Tracking
Last Updated: 2/2/26
Winter storm Gianna hit the East Coast in the early morning of Sunday, February 1st, 2026. Gianna strengthened into a bomb cyclone, a rapidly strengthening storm that undergoes a significant drop in pressure in a short time. Bomb cyclones typically form over oceans where cold air from land clashes with warmer air over the water, and they often unleash strong winds along with heavy snow and rain.
Record Snowfall
- Winter storm Gianna left at least a foot of snow in over 100 locations in North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and far southern Virginia. The highest snowfall was in Faust, North Carolina, totalling 22.5 inches.
- On Sunday morning, snow flurries were reported as far south as St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Wilmington International Airport recorded at least 5.8 inches of snow, the largest recorded snowfall for Wilmington, NC, in nearly 40 years.
- At least 8 inches of snow and single-digit wind chills were recorded in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
- Charlotte, North Carolina, received nearly a foot of snow, marking a top-five snow event of all time for the city.
Record Low Temperatures
- Daily record low and all-time February low temperature records were broken in many Florida locations, including Daytona, Melbourne, Leesburg, Vero Beach, and Sanford. Orlando broke a daily low temperature record.
- In the aftermath of Gianna, Florida saw its coldest temperatures in more than 15 years.
Storm Impacts
- Winter storm Gianna caused at least four deaths: one in Georgia, one in Tennessee, and two in North Carolina.
- Power outages were reported across the southeast. 16,000 Florida customers, 5,000 North Carolina customers, and 4,800 South Carolina customers were reported along the path of Gianna.
- This is in addition to more than 100,000 homes and businesses across the south that lost power due to Winter Storm Fern.
- On January 31st, 1,088 flights were canceled at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, 625 flights were canceled at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, and 176 flights were canceled at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.