WASHINGTON — Millions in North America kicked off 2026 with bitterly cold temperatures, with many saying it's been years since they've experienced such frigid winter weather.
"Pipes that never froze on me for 15 years froze," said Chris Ferro, 58, from Brooklyn, New York, about the abnormally cold temperatures he experienced in January and February.
Ferro owns several residential properties in Albany and said multiple days of below-freezing temperatures prevented him from doing repairs and renovations. He said he was thankful that none of the pipes burst and that this winter had the same bitter cold he remembers from when he was young, which contrasts with the relatively warmer winters he experienced in recent years.
A person bundles up Jan. 28 as she takes a walk during a cold weather day in the snow-covered sand at Lake Michigan in Chicago.
About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say they've been personally affected by severe cold weather or severe winter storms in the past five years, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That's an increase from an AP-NORC poll conducted in February 2025, when about half of U.S. adults said they'd been affected by extreme cold.
The finding points to the growing prevalence of experiences with cold weather, or at least people's perceptions of them, after a massive winter storm brought freezing temperatures to the East Coast and caused widespread power outages in the South.
In a warming world, people's reactions to cold weather are subjective. Scientific research indicates the first quarter of the 21st century was unusually warm by historical standards — mostly due to human-induced climate change — and abnormally cold winters are happening less frequently in North America.
Because this type of extreme cold occurs less frequently, experts say Americans experience it more intensely now than they did in the past and prolonged cold spells are unfamiliar to many people, especially younger Americans.
In the summer of 2024, an AP-NORC poll found about 7 in 10 U.S. adults experienced extremely hot weather or extreme heat waves in the prior five years.
Vehicle spinouts block traffic Monday along eastbound I-80, over Donner Summit, Calif.
Higher electric bills
About 7 in 10 Americans say that in the past year, their electricity or gas bills have been higher than usual because of winter storms or extreme cold. About 4 in 10 experienced a work or school cancellation because of winter storms or extreme cold, roughly one-third experienced a power outage and about 3 in 10 had a travel cancellation or delay.
Annie Braswell, 66, from Greenville, North Carolina, said January and February felt like "it hadn't been that cold in 40 years" and that her utility bill doubled compared with normal. She said it was a dramatic change from the weather she experienced last summer when she endured many days at or above 100°F (38°C).
"I just take life one day at a time, and I realize these are things that I can't change," Braswell said about how she copes with the extreme temperatures.
Traffic is stuck on a hill Thursday as the area was under a winter storm warning in Omaha, Neb.
Heat waves and extreme cold require more heating and cooling to keep temperatures inside homes and buildings comfortable, which leads to higher utility bills.
Electricity prices are rising in the U.S. and an AP-NORC poll from October 2025 found that almost 4 in 10 U.S. adults say the cost of electricity is a "major source" of stress for them. Bill McKibben, a longtime climate activist, told The Associated Press in a separate interview that he thinks rising electricity prices will have a major political impact.
The effects of cold weather were felt across wide swathes of the country. About 6 in 10 Midwesterners, about half of Southerners, and about 4 in 10 Northeasterners say they experienced work or school cancellation as a result of winter storms or extreme cold, compared with 15% of adults who live in the West.
Ice covers a navigational beacon Feb. 13 at the end of the South Pier along Lake Michigan in St. Joseph, Mich.
Climate change
Among all of the people who experienced some kind of severe weather event in the past few years — including extreme heat, extreme cold, major droughts or water shortages, hurricanes or severe tropical storms, major flooding, wildfires, tornadoes — about two-thirds believe climate change was a cause.
"I think climate change is a natural thing that happens … to some extent it's sped up by some things," such as pollutants released from factories and the shipping industry, said Joseph Bird, 21, a college student in Provo, Utah, who identifies as an independent.
"I think it increases the frequency of extreme weather is how I'd see it," said Bird.
Democrats and independents who experienced any kind of severe weather event are much likelier than Republicans to see climate change as a cause.
There's a particularly large gap between conservative Republicans — only about 3 in 10 who experienced an extreme weather event think it was related to climate change — compared with liberal Democrats, the vast majority of whom think climate change was involved.
A person stays bundled Jan. 21 as they walk their dog in Chicago.
While rising atmospheric temperatures are a result of global warming, scientists say that extreme cold outbreaks across North America are a feature of climate change.
The Arctic polar vortex, a swirling area of low pressure and cold air that is typically trapped over the North Pole throughout the year, can stretch down and infiltrate regions further south.
Scientific research indicates such polar vortex disruptions are happening more frequently due to rapidly warming temperatures in the Arctic and shrinking Arctic sea ice.
