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Did The Simpsons predict a deadly winter storm in January 2026? Truth behind viral video
A major winter storm has spread across parts of the South, Midwest, and Northeast and is expected to continue through Monday
A major winter storm has spread across parts of the South, Midwest, and Northeast and is expected to continue through Monday. Affected states include New Mexico, Texas, the Carolinas, and Oklahoma. The storm has led to travel advisories, and power outages are expected in the regions this weekend. However, a video has gone viral on social media. The clip, posted on X and Facebook accounts, claims that The Simpsons predicted a ‘deadly’ winter storm for January 2026.
Did The Simpsons predict the winter storm this month?
The video, showing three people drinking what appears to be wine as a cold wave passes, has gone viral. One of them actually resembles President Donald Trump. “Seven days of ice and seven nights of silence,” the voiceover goes.
However, the clip is AI-generated. xAI's bot, Grok, fact-checked claims on social media. “The viral Simpsons video appears to be edited clips with added text, not from an official episode predicting a specific 2026 snowstorm. That said, a major real winter storm is hitting the US right now (Jan 19-25), bringing heavy snow, ice, and cold to many states. Check local weather for updates and stay prepared!” it stated on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
While several episodes of The Simpsons coincidentally mirrored real-life events, there is no evidence that the show or its creators actually predicted the future.
Winter storm forecast for the weekend
The massive storm system is expected to bring a crippling ice storm from Texas through parts of the South, potentially around a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Oklahoma through Washington, D.C., New York and Boston, and then a final punch of bitterly cold air that could drop wind chills to minus-50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-46 Celsius) in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.
Forecasters are warning the damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival a hurricane. About 160 million people were under winter storm or cold weather watches or warnings — and in many places both.
When will it start?
The storm was expected to begin Friday in New Mexico and Texas, with the worst weather moving east into the Deep South before heading up the coast and thumping New England with snow.
Cold air streaming down from Canada caused Chicago Public Schools and Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa to cancel classes Friday. Wind chills predicted to be as low as minus-35 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-37 Celsius) could cause frostbite within 10 minutes, making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the bus.
(With AP inputs)
