Snow Chances Favor the East, Frigid Temps Ahead for the Lower 48

US and Canada Daily Snow

By Alan Smith, Meteorologist Posted 12 hours ago January 17, 2025

Summary

The big story this weekend will be arctic air overspreading much of the Lower 48. The large-scale pattern will continue to favor drier conditions across the West with only some light snow for the Rockies, while the East will be more active. Two storms will move across the East over the next 3 days, while the South could see snow next week. The Great Lakes will also see consistent snow showers.

Short Term Forecast

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Here Comes the Cold:

An arctic blast remains on track for the Lower 48 and Southern Canada this weekend and next week. Arctic air will move into the Rockies and Midwest this weekend, with modified arctic air spilling westward toward the West Coast.

By early next week, frigid temperatures will overspread the East, and well below-average temperatures will even reach the Gulf Coast.

7-Day Snow Forecast:

The East will see the most snow over the next week with multiple storms expected. The deepest snow totals are currently expected across the Mid-Atlantic and the Great Lakes. Even the Deep South (well south of the Appalachians) will be in play for some snow next week.

More details from our local experts...

The image below is our new forecast snowfall map that is now live on the OpenSnow website (OpenSnow.com/map) and it will be available in the OpenSnow app (iOS & Android) in the near future.

In the West, we will see light to moderate snow on Friday as the arctic front moves through, with snow totals favoring areas east of the Continental Divide in the Rockies. Areas west of the Divide will see lighter amounts.

The Eastern Rockies could see some additional light snow chances early next week. Otherwise, the quiet pattern will continue.

Forecast for Fri (Jan 17) to Sat (Jan 18):

Snow showers will develop across the West as the arctic front moves through, with areas near and east of the Continental Divide in Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado favored for the deepest totals.

A storm will move across the East with snow for the higher terrain of the Mid-Atlantic and New England. This storm will involve warmer air and there will be some rain and mixed precipitation across the Mid-Atlantic and for lower elevation areas in New England, before changing to snow on Saturday night (where moisture lingers) as colder air arrives.

Forecast for Sun (Jan 19) to Mon (Jan 20):

Another storm will move across the East with snow developing across the Mid-Atlantic. There are still some model disagreements on the storm track as the storm reaches the Coast, with some models projecting a track close enough to the coast to bring snow to Southern New England, while others are projecting the storm to track too far offshore for these areas to see snow.

Across the West, there are some very light snow amounts showing up for the Rockies on some models, but mostly, it will just be cold and dry as arctic air settles into the area. To the north, a storm will bring heavy snow to Alaska.

Forecast for Tue (Jan 21) to Wed (Jan 22):

Arctic air will be in place across the East with lake effect snow showers expected from Michigan to Western New York, possibly extending into Northern Vermont.

A storm is likely to track across the Southeast, but there is considerable uncertainty with the storm track. Some models are projecting the storm to track far enough north for significant snow in ski regions of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, but others (such as the one pictured below) are dry for these areas with snow chances confined to the Deep South.

Across the West, a mostly dry pattern will continue but a weak storm could bring some light snow to areas near/east of the Divide in the Rockies. Alaska will also continue to receive heavy snow.

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Thu (Jan 23) to Mon (Jan 27):

Temperatures will remain cold across much of the Contiguous U.S. and Southern Canada, but we will see gradual moderation over time following the arctic blast.

The pattern will continue to be more active across the East compared to the West. However, there are some signs that storms could eventually return to the West, favoring the Northwest and the Rockies initially.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Monday (January 20).

Alan Smith

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