A surge of Arctic air, reinforced lake-effect snowfall, and an atmospheric river are forecast to affect large portions of the United States from December 31, 2025, into January 2, 2026. Heavy snow is expected downwind of the Great Lakes and across parts of the Northeast, while southern California faces a flash flood risk as an atmospheric river moves onshore around New Year’s Day.
Heavy lake-effect snow is forecast across the eastern Great Lakes region from early Thursday, November 27, through Saturday, November 29, 2025. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued Lake Effect Snow Warnings for areas in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, with totals reaching up to 50 cm (20 inches) in the most persistent snow bands.
Powerful bands of lake-effect snow brought traffic on parts of Interstate 57 (I-57) south of Chicago, Illinois, to a standstill amid whiteout conditions on the morning of November 10, 2025. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned drivers to use extreme caution as snowfall rates exceeded 7 cm/h (3 in/h) in localized bands, producing near-zero visibility and hazardous travel across portions of northeastern Illinois.
The season’s first measurable snow reached Chicago early Monday, November 10, 2025, as Arctic air swept across the Great Lakes, producing intense lake-effect snow bands over Lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario. Travel warnings were issued from Illinois to western New York, with authorities urging drivers to avoid non-essential travel.
Heavy lake-snow effect snow has created near-whiteout conditions across Buffalo, New York, on January 13 and 14, 2025. Dangerous travel conditions, strong winds, and snow-packed roads have severely impacted traffic along Interstate 90 with plows struggling to keep up with the intense snowfall rates.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for parts of Western New York, the Finger Lakes, Central New York, and the North Country regions, as heavy lake-effect snow is expected to bring up to 90 cm (3 feet) of accumulation in the third lake-effect snowstorm of the season.
A winter storm gripping the northeastern United States and Midwest caused chaos along the I-90 corridor in Pennsylvania, where lake-effect snow led to a multi-vehicle crash involving several semi-trucks on December 3, 2024. Conditions along the I-90 will be nearly impossible to travel today and meteorologists are urging to limit or cancel travel as blowing snow in Western Pennsylvania could reduce visibility to zero.
