Fierce winter storm that swept much of the United States over the weekend, forced much of the Bitcoin mining fleet to cut power, leaving the network much weaker for a compact time.
Reports say power outages and extreme weather have forced some operators to pause or leisurely down their platforms so local networks can breathe. The result was a dramatic, if fleeting, decline in the total mining power securing the blockchain.
Miners adjust their energy consumption
According to mining operators on the ground, the break was intentional. Many farms shed the machines to ease the burden on regional utilities as demand rose and production fell.
Ample Mines, an Oregon-based cryptocurrency mining company, said about 40% of global mining capacity was knocked offline within 24 hours. This kind of rapid scaling is possible because miners can quickly shut down and restart equipment, which in some regions acts as a huge, elastic electrical load that can be trimmed as needed.
Bitcoin hashrate just dropped below 700 EH/s
Probable cause: A winter storm hitting Texas and the Southeast, where much of U.S. mining takes place. Power outages and voluntary network stabilization measures caused miners to stop working.
What does this mean:
– Fewer miners online… pic.twitter.com/j0lv7bU9JN— Ample Mines (@AbundantMines) January 25, 2026
Hashrate drop and quick recovery
Based on reports from mining trackers, network hashrate dropped started sharply on Friday and hit a seven-month low on Sunday, dropping to around 663 EH/s. Within a day or so, as crews worked and weather systems changed, the value increased again to 854 EH/s.
Hashrate index estimates that the United States supplies almost 38% of the world’s extractive energy, so disruptions in the country quickly show up in global totals.
A report by the federal Energy Information Administration indicated that there are more than 130 specialized cryptocurrency mining sites across the United States, which means that storms that affect huge regions can heavily impact mining resources.
Bitcoin price action
The price moved with the headlines, but not in a straight line. Based on reports, Bitcoin was trading around $88,300 due to volatility, with swings linked to both weather and broader geopolitical tensions.
BTCUSD now trading at 87,866. Chart: TradingView
The market has previously seen gains of nearly $96,000 during periods of geopolitical stress, while other periods of growth have pushed prices lower as macroeconomic risks boost.
The traders watched closely; the fleeting drop in hashrate raised doubts about miners’ short-term revenues, but did not cause a solemn collapse in market value.
As a winter storm hits the US, Bitcoin mining companies scale back operations to support the power grid.
Over the past few days, their daily Bitcoin production has dropped significantly.
CLSK: 22 bitcoins –> 12 bitcoins
Riots: 16 –> 3
MARA: 45 –> 7 (more variable because it brings out the “solo”)… pic.twitter.com/SzgcbtgQ5V— Julio Moreno (@jjcmoreno) January 26, 2026
Gigantic miners felt the effects
Analyst firms have reported edged declines in output from some huge U.S. miners. According to data collected by market monitors, Marathon Digital’s daily production dropped from 45 to seven coins in one day, while IREN increased from 18 to six.
As the storm hit, CryptoQuant saw slower daily digs from several major operators. Reports show that in Texas, miners have been working with network managers to support balance supply and demand, using their machines to draw in additional power when available and withdrawing when the network is under strain.
Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
