Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Jumps 15% After Winter Storm; What’s Next?

• Bitcoin mining difficulty jumped 15% after miners returned online post-storm.
• The Bitcoin mining difficulty jumped due to an increase in its Hashrate.
• BTC price is still trading below the miners’ cost basis, which may increase selling pressure from miners.

The Bitcoin (BTC) network has recorded one of its largest daily mining difficulty adjustments since 2021. After the winter storms in the United States subsided, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty has since rebounded over 15% to hover about 144.4 T on Saturday February 21, 2026.

Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Rebounds After Winter Storm

During the recent winter storm in the United States, Bitcoin mining difficulty dropped sharply as more mining rigs temporarily closed their operations. Notably, Bitcoin’s hashrate fell to around 826 EH/s during the peak of the winter storm, thus triggering an 11% drop in its mining difficulty.

Source: X

Once the storm passed, Bitcoin miners rapidly reconnected to the network, thus the Bitcoin hashrate rebounded to nearly 1 ZH/s. This rebound in Bitcoin’s hashrate represented a recovery of about 21% from the winter storm’s low. 

As such, the Bitcoin mining difficulty surged by 15%, which is now roughly 2.4% above pre-storm levels.

What’s the Expected Market Impact

The notable rebound in Bitcoin mining difficulty will impact miners’ revenue in the near term. Furthermore, the Bitcoin mining industry has already experienced lower profit margins due to the recent crypto capitulation.

Notably, Bitcoin miners have been taking in lesser profits since the BTC price dropped from

$126k to trade around $68,247 in two quarters. Essentially, with the Bitcoin difficulty up by 15%, with most miners’ hashrate staying unchanged, earnings will fall in tandem. 

“Mining competition just got tougher. If price does not follow, selling pressure can increase from higher-cost miners,” Bitfinex stated. 

Bitcoin price has experienced a low bullish outlook as the retail capitulation weighs down potential rebound. The extreme fear of further Bitcoin price selloff, amid low capital inflow, will stretch miners towards further selling pressure unless it holds above the mining cost basis.

Related: Is Bitcoin Dead? Here’s What ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok Says

Moreover, Bitcoin price recently dropped to its production cost band, a phenomenon that acted as a buy signal in the past. However, if the BTC’s price fails to remain above its production cost band, further selloff is likely to happen catalyzed by heightened miners’ capitulation.

Source: X

What’s the Bigger Picture?

The increased volatility in Bitcoin’s mining difficulty, amid extreme weather events, is a sign of its mainstream adoption in the United States. The notable infrastructure of Bitcoin miners in the United States is a feature that gives the U.S. more influence on Bitcoin than any other global nation.

A coordinated effort from the U.S. top BTC miners could put the network at risk of a 51% attack. As such, blockchains that rely on proof of staking, led by Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), have a higher chance of thriving in the future amid geopolitical instability and extreme weather conditions.

Related: U.S.-Listed Bitcoin Miners Hold Near-Record Hashrate Share Despite AI Shift and Storm Disruptions