Intense Winter Storm Strikes the Upper Midwest and Northeast
This weekend, a formidable winter storm is unleashing severe weather across the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast regions. Meteorologists are warning residents of significant impacts as the storm intensifies over the coming days.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued alerts, expecting the storm system to gain strength, with harsh conditions persisting through Tuesday. “Arctic air will descend into the Plains beginning Sunday followed by a potent winter storm across the upper Midwest to the Great Lakes Sunday night to Monday,” according to a bulletin from the NWS.
Heavy snowfall and blizzard-like conditions are predicted for parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, leading to “treacherous travel,” warns the NWS. Regions such as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could see snowfall exceeding a foot, while lake-effect snow is anticipated in western New York and northwest Pennsylvania.
The storm has already impacted the Northeast, depositing close to 8 inches of snow in New York City and nearby areas between Friday and Saturday. This weather event has disrupted traffic along the I-95 corridor and led to significant air travel delays. According to Flightaware.com, more than 1,000 flights faced delays across U.S. airports by Saturday evening, with nearly 1,000 flights cancelled within, into, or out of the U.S.
In addition, the NWS is cautioning about hazardous ice conditions across the Northeast, with potential ice accumulation up to a quarter of an inch in parts of eastern New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Extremely cold wind chills are anticipated, plunging to -35 degrees in parts of North Dakota and -25 degrees in northern Minnesota.
Contrastingly, regions in the South and the Tennessee Valley might experience unseasonably warm temperatures, with forecasts suggesting highs reaching the 70s, according to forecasters.
A man cleans off his car of snow in Brooklyn after an overnight storm on Dec. 27, 2025 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
