{ABC News Live & 13NewsNow} When Virginia Turned Frozen

These past few weeks have felt like living in our own version of Frozen — minus the singing snowman — as winter settled over the Eastern U.S. and simply refused to leave.

In Norfolk, Virginia, the cold didn’t just show up — it moved in. Starting on January 26, 2026, temperatures at Norfolk International Airport (ORF) spent a week hovering near or below freezing. Daytime highs ranged from the mid 20°s to lower-mid 30°s, and overnight lows regularly dipped into the teens and low 20°s. The wind chill at times was near 0°F.

• Jan 26: 33°F high / 24° low

• Jan 27: 34° high / 19°F (record) low

• Jan 28: 32°F high / 22°F low

• Jan 29: 31°F high / 21°F low

• Jan 30: 27°F high / 21°F low

• Jan 31: 26°F high / 20°F low

• Feb 1: 29°F high / 19°F low

To put this in perspective, the average high temperature in Norfolk this time of year is around 50°F.

Here in Hampton Roads, the chill was so persistent that waterways I’ve lived near since 2007 actually started to freeze over — rivers, creeks, and little side channels that, in a typical winter, might get a skim of ice once in a blue moon ended up solid enough to stop onlookers in their tracks. I’ve lived here nearly 20 years and have never seen this much ice in Southeastern Virginia. The stubborn cold just hung on.

And the cold wasn’t acting alone. A major winter storm that underwent "bombogenesis" (or as the media calls it, "bomb cyclone") – where a storm intensifies quickly, dropping 24 millibars (pressure) or more in 24 hours – from January 30 to February 2 brought snow, ice, and even stronger surges of Arctic air across a huge section of the Eastern U.S.

On January 31st, I helped the 13NewsNow news and weather team with snow coverage during the afternoon and evening shift.

Because of how widespread and unusual the cold and storm impacts were over the past couple of weeks, I was also invited onto ABC News Live to break down what was going on — from the brutally low temperatures to the icy conditions and storm recovery.

Watch: ABC News Live

Watch: ABC News Live Prime

What struck me most about this stretch wasn’t just the numbers — it was the duration. Day after day of frozen mornings, icy waterways, and stubborn cold air that refused to budge. For a little while there, Virginia truly turned frozen.

Stay safe and warm.