National Weather Service Announces Rare Snow Day, Tells Employees to Stay Home Until Tuesday

January 25 , 2026

WASHINGTON — The National Weather Service (NWS) announced Monday that it will close most of its physical offices through Tuesday following an unexpectedly intense winter storm that has disrupted travel and operations across large portions of the United States.

The agency instructed employees to remain at home, citing dangerous road conditions and heavy snowfall that exceeded initial forecasts. Essential forecasting, monitoring, and alerting functions will continue remotely, according to the NWS, ensuring that weather warnings and public advisories remain uninterrupted.

Officials acknowledged that the storm’s strength caught forecasters off guard.

“Nobody saw this coming,” one NWS official said, referring to the rapid intensification of the system and the unusually high snowfall totals recorded in several regions.

The storm began developing late last week and intensified as it moved eastward, producing heavy snow, ice, and strong winds from the central Plains into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Several metropolitan areas reported snowfall totals not seen in years, leading to widespread school closures, canceled flights, and hazardous driving conditions.

While the National Weather Service routinely operates during extreme weather events, agency-wide instructions for employees to stay home are rare. The decision reflects both the scale of the storm and the agency’s expanded ability to function remotely using advanced forecasting models, satellite data, and distributed operations centers.

Local and state emergency management agencies echoed the NWS’s call for caution, urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel until conditions improve. Transportation officials warned that plummeting temperatures could lead to refreezing on roadways even after snowfall tapers off.

The NWS said employees are expected to return to normal on-site operations Tuesday, weather permitting. Officials noted that forecasts will continue to be updated as the storm system moves offshore and cleanup efforts begin.

Olivia Asher