Updated Dec 31, 2025 - Science

Eastern U.S. faces heavy snow threats in New Year's holiday storm

Rebecca Falconer

Snowplow truck clearing snow from a road during a snowy, gray winter day, with snow being pushed to the side and bare trees in the background. — New York State Department of Transportation said on Instagram Tuesday its Onondaga East crew in North Syracuse was "out plowing roadways during challenging lake effect conditions." Screenshot: NYSDOT/Instagram

A "surge" of Arctic air will "invade" much of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. over the New Year's period, forecasters warned — as lake-effect snow began hitting parts of New York Tuesday evening.

The big picture: This multi-day severe weather event that prompted N.Y.'s governor to declare a statewide emergency will see this "snow machine" downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario dump an additional 1-2 feet with locally 3+ ft possible within the heaviest snow bands in a region that's already been pummeled by a potent winter storm this week, per the National Weather Service.

The NWS said on X the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast faced potentially "hazardous driving conditions" on New Year's Eve from snow squalls — a sudden, brief but intense burst of snow that combines with strong, gusty winds.

Threat level: The heaviest snow bands are expected over areas south of Buffalo, N.Y., including Syracuse and Tug Hill in the state and across to Erie, Pennsylvania.

N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul in a Tuesday statement urged New Yorkers to "avoid any unnecessary travel in areas experiencing heavy snow and winter storms" during the extreme weather event that's expected to also produce blowing snow and last until Saturday.
The severe weather was being reinforced with the arrival Tuesday evening of an Alberta clipper, or a fast-moving low-pressure system, according to an NWS forecast discussion.

Zoom in: Nearby areas across the upper Midwest to the far Northern Plains as well as interior New England can also expect snow showers from the clipper, per the NWS, which noted that winter weather impacts here appeared to be minor.

A swath of light snow was forecast to spread into the Ohio Valley on New Year's Eve, reaching into the western slopes of the Central Appalachians at the dawn of the new year, according to the NWS.

"Meanwhile, blustery winds will add to the arctic chill across the entire Eastern U.S., with low temperatures reaching the freezing mark as far south as central Florida early Wednesday morning, prompting the continuation of Freeze Warnings and Cold Weather Advisories across the region," the weather agency added.

Background: The latest severe weather comes on the heels of an intense bomb cyclone that pummeled much of the Midwest and Great Lakes with blizzard conditions this week.

The heavy lake-effect snow threatening the Great Lakes is a lingering result of this "big cyclone," which was pivoting away into eastern Canada, the NWS noted.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.

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Eastern U.S. faces heavy snow threats in New Year's holiday storm

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