Winter storm forecast gives snow and ice woes to the Midwest and Northeast
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL | Dec 29, 2025, 20:53 IST
A big winter storm will be travelling from the upper Midwest to the Northeast with snow, freezing rain, and generally unpleasant travel conditions on Thursday through Saturday, as per federal weather forecasters.
TL;DR
A severe winter storm lasting several days will cause snow and ice in the areas of the Midwest and the Northeast. Along with that, the local authorities are expecting hazardous road conditions and a significant possibility of power outages. Also, the National Weather Service is going to issue warning advisories related to this.
A major winter storm covering the greater part of the Midwest and the Northeast from Thursday to early Saturday is going to be felt. Snow, sleet, and freezing rain will severely disrupt transportation and will inconvenience locals in most states, as announced by the National Weather Service.
Thursday, the storm will already be an influence for the upper Midwest region, then by the evening, freezing rain will have passed through the areas of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Once the system keeps going east, it will arrive at Michigan on Friday morning and then will be spreading over western and central Pennsylvania by the afternoon. The weather forecasters said that the moving time is only a day after the holidays, when there is more holiday travel, which is the main reason why road safety and traffic jams are put into question.
A winter storm watch has been announced by the NWS for the southern Connecticut and the northeast parts of New Jersey and southeast New York areas from Friday, 4 p.m. local time to Saturday, 1 p.m. Advisory issued late Thursday afternoon predicts that the heaviest of snow will be in these areas with 4-8 in. accumulation. However, some spots might get up to 9 inches of snow.
At the very start of the warning, one can expect that the travel conditions will be almost impossible. The National Weather Service predicted that the roads would be covered with heavy snow and that visibility would be very low on the day following Thanksgiving (Friday), when people working in offices would be going back home. Therefore, drivers are recommended to take a lot of time for the journey and to consider removing the non-urgent trips from their plans.
West and central Pennsylvania will be the areas to experience the most severe effects of a mixture of freezing rain and, consequently, ice buildup. Among the towns, such as Johnstown and Clarion, where the ice accumulation could be more than one-quarter inch, will be the ones. This situation will cause falling trees and power lines, which can lead to lines being down and customers being without electricity. The Department of Transportation of the state has advised drivers to be very careful when using the aforementioned interstate highways, especially I-80 and I-70.
In the New York City area, very light snow might start to fall at about midday on Friday, but the bulk of the snow that is expected will come after 4 p.m. Snow will continue its way through Friday night in New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Little snow accumulation will be felt in the Boston region, as reported by federal forecasters.
Also expected to experience light ice accumulation are the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas, Friday through Friday night. Ice accumulation of 0.2 inches is expected in the upper Midwest from northern Minnesota through northern Wisconsin, including Michigan, including the Detroit area.
Much of the moderate to heavy snowfall is expected to end by the early morning hours of Saturday, with the precipitation estimated to end in most areas between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Weather experts said that there could be considerable differences in the weather over short areas.
A severe winter storm lasting several days will cause snow and ice in the areas of the Midwest and the Northeast. Along with that, the local authorities are expecting hazardous road conditions and a significant possibility of power outages. Also, the National Weather Service is going to issue warning advisories related to this.
A major winter storm covering the greater part of the Midwest and the Northeast from Thursday to early Saturday is going to be felt. Snow, sleet, and freezing rain will severely disrupt transportation and will inconvenience locals in most states, as announced by the National Weather Service.
Thursday, the storm will already be an influence for the upper Midwest region, then by the evening, freezing rain will have passed through the areas of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Once the system keeps going east, it will arrive at Michigan on Friday morning and then will be spreading over western and central Pennsylvania by the afternoon. The weather forecasters said that the moving time is only a day after the holidays, when there is more holiday travel, which is the main reason why road safety and traffic jams are put into question.
A winter storm watch has been announced by the NWS for the southern Connecticut and the northeast parts of New Jersey and southeast New York areas from Friday, 4 p.m. local time to Saturday, 1 p.m. Advisory issued late Thursday afternoon predicts that the heaviest of snow will be in these areas with 4-8 in. accumulation. However, some spots might get up to 9 inches of snow.
At the very start of the warning, one can expect that the travel conditions will be almost impossible. The National Weather Service predicted that the roads would be covered with heavy snow and that visibility would be very low on the day following Thanksgiving (Friday), when people working in offices would be going back home. Therefore, drivers are recommended to take a lot of time for the journey and to consider removing the non-urgent trips from their plans.
West and central Pennsylvania will be the areas to experience the most severe effects of a mixture of freezing rain and, consequently, ice buildup. Among the towns, such as Johnstown and Clarion, where the ice accumulation could be more than one-quarter inch, will be the ones. This situation will cause falling trees and power lines, which can lead to lines being down and customers being without electricity. The Department of Transportation of the state has advised drivers to be very careful when using the aforementioned interstate highways, especially I-80 and I-70.
In the New York City area, very light snow might start to fall at about midday on Friday, but the bulk of the snow that is expected will come after 4 p.m. Snow will continue its way through Friday night in New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Little snow accumulation will be felt in the Boston region, as reported by federal forecasters.
Also expected to experience light ice accumulation are the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas, Friday through Friday night. Ice accumulation of 0.2 inches is expected in the upper Midwest from northern Minnesota through northern Wisconsin, including Michigan, including the Detroit area.
Much of the moderate to heavy snowfall is expected to end by the early morning hours of Saturday, with the precipitation estimated to end in most areas between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Weather experts said that there could be considerable differences in the weather over short areas.