It remains quite cold here at mid-week and a reinforcing Arctic blast will push into the Mid-Atlantic region during the overnight hours leading to a cold start to the new year. In addition to the cold, a strong disturbance in the upper part of the atmosphere will bring an enhanced chance of snow shower activity from late tonight into early Thursday...perhaps even a brief period of steadier snow with small accumulations possible right as 2026 gets underway. It looks like the colder-than-normal weather will continue at the end of the week and right through the first weekend of the new month.
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The passage of a strong cold front on Monday ushered in an Arctic air mass to the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US and it is being accompanied by very strong winds that can gust today up to 50 mph or so. A reinforcing Arctic blast will arrive to start the new year on Thursday, and temperatures will remain well below-normal for the first few days of January. Looking ahead, numerous signs point to a continuation of the colder-than-normal pattern across the northern US as we progress through January and some extreme cold could get into the mix.
In addition to the wind and cold, the next few days in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US will also feature a couple of upper-level “short-wave” disturbances that will rotate through a “long-wave” trough of low pressure now centered over the northeastern states. As a result, there can be snow showers at various times including late tonight and early tomorrow from one disturbance and again late tomorrow night to early Thursday from a second disturbance. This second “short-wave” is the stronger of the two and small snow accumulations cannot be ruled out – even in the immediate I-95 corridor from DC-to-Philly-to-NYC – right as we begin the new year on Thursday.
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A powerful cold front barreled through the region on Monday and the post-frontal winds picked up dramatically as much colder air poured into the northeastern part of the country. The winds will continue to be strong today from a west-to-northwest direction with gusts of up to 50 mph making it feel even colder than the actual outdoor temperatures. Another blast of Arctic air will push into the Mid-Atlantic region later tomorrow night setting the stage for a very cold start to the new year on Thursday.
In addition to the wind and cold, the next few days will also feature a couple of upper-level “short-wave” disturbances that will rotate through a “long-wave” trough of low pressure centered over the eastern states. As a result, there can be snow showers at various times including late tonight and early tomorrow from one disturbance and again late tomorrow night into early Thursday from a second disturbance. The second “short-wave” is the stronger of the two and small snow accumulations cannot be ruled out as we transition to the new year on Thursday.
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A powerful cold front will barrel through the region during the next couple of hours and the winds should kick up dramatically as much colder air plunges into the northeastern part of the country. In fact, gusts can reach 50 mph this afternoon and evening in the Mid-Atlantic region from the usual post-cold frontal direction of west-to-northwest. This incoming blast of cold air will be followed quickly by a second one right around the time we transition to the new year on Thursday and that influx of Arctic air may be accompanied by some snow. As we go through the medium-term, two important changes in the atmosphere will be unfolding, and they can lead to an increased chance of an east coast storm and accumulating snow in the Mid-Atlantic region.
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A strong cold front arrives later today and it’ll be mild ahead of it with morning temperatures likely reaching the 50-degree mark. Following the passage of the front, temperatures will drop markedly during the afternoon hours and it turns noticeably colder at night. Winds will be a big factor from later today into Tuesday with gusts to 50 mph on the table throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Additional cold fronts and upper-level disturbances will pass through the region later this week assuring a cold start to the new year and there can be some snow shower activity at times.
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A fresh infusion of Arctic air from southeastern Canada in the overnight hours will set the stage for a significant winter storm in the Mid-Atlantic region from Friday afternoon into late Saturday. The cold air mass will be anchored by strong high pressure over SE Canada which will stay in place during the event. A thin layer of slightly above-freezing air in the upper atmosphere will nose into the southern Mid-Atlantic region creating conditions for sleet and freezing rain in many of those areas. The storm will bring substantial accumulating snow across the northern Mid-Atlantic region and a mixed bag of precipitation across the southern Mid-Atlantic. Travel conditions will deteriorate rapidly once the precipitation gets underway this afternoon and will remain very difficult right through tomorrow with temperatures at or below freezing in many areas through much of the event. Looking ahead, another Arctic outbreak reaches the Mid-Atlantic region on Monday night and a second shot around New Year’s Day.
Here is a breakdown for the Mid-Atlantic’s I-95 corridor:
NYC metro, central/northern NJ, east-central PA, NE PA: primarily a snow event with accumulations in the 5-9 inch range, isolated higher amounts, some sleet can mix in at times, surface temperatures stay below freezing through the event
Philly metro, northern DE, southern NJ: snow and sleet should dominate with some freezing rain, snow accumulations in the 1-3 inch range and there will likely be a thick layer of sleet, I don’t expect surface temperatures to get above freezing through most, if not all, of the event.
DC metro, northern MD, northern VA: mainly a combination of rain, freezing rain and sleet, a touch of snow is possible with little to no accumulation, watch for an ice buildup across the normally colder northern suburbs…temperatures will hove close to the freezing mark during much of the event.
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A cold front passed through the region last night and today will be on the chilly side with a stiff NW wind making it feel even colder than the actual air temperatures. Another weak low pressure system could produce a bit of rain on Christmas Day and then a significant winter storm is likely to have an impact at the end of the week. There is potential for substantial icing and/or snow around here by later Friday and Friday night with a strong high pressure system to our north acting as an important source of cold air through the event.
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While the nation’s mid-section enjoys rarely ever-seen sustained warmth for the next few days, the northeastern states will continue to experience plenty of winter weather right into the early part of January. One system is bringing some accumulating snow today to the northern Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US and some interior higher elevation locations will receive several inches. Another storm system is likely to threaten the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US on Friday with significant accumulating snow in some areas and substantial icing in others. A key player at the end of the week will be a strong high-pressure system over southeastern Canada which will act as an anchor for low-level Arctic air that can lead to frozen precipitation throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US.
Looking ahead to next week, the winter weather pattern is likely to continue across the northeastern states with two major-league Arctic air outbreaks on the table. Both of these Arctic air masses will have originated up across the northwestern part of Canada where temperatures on Monday morning bottomed out at -67.7°F... reportedly the lowest temperature in Canada since January 1999…in other words, get ready, next week’s Arctic invasions might be quite noteworthy.
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Low pressure to our north will produce accumulating snow in the area early today and then a mixed bag of precipitation is likely before it all winds down around mid-day…watch for slick spots through the morning, accumulations of a coating to an inch or so. After clearing skies tonight, the mid-week looks to be dry and chilly in the Philly metro region and then there can be a touch of light precipitation on Thursday, Christmas Day, from another “clipper” system that moves from northwest-to-southeast. A more impactful low pressure is likely here at the end of the week with significant ice or accumulating snow on the table as strong high pressure positioned to our north acts as a source of cold air for the northeastern states.
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While the nation’s mid-section enjoys rarely ever-seen sustained warmth for Christmas week, the northeastern states will experience plenty of winter weather during the next 7 days or so. One system will bring some snow and ice to the northern Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US from late tonight into Tuesday and though not a significant event, there can be some slippery spots tomorrow even in the big cities along the I-95 corridor from Philly-to-Boston. Another storm could threaten the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast US with accumulating snow and significant ice at the end of the week with strong high pressure positioned over eastern Canada anchoring an Arctic air mass. By the end of the upcoming weekend, another low pressure will slide to the Great Lakes, and its training cold front will head to the east coast. This combination can produce rain, ice and snow across the northeastern states late in the weekend and it’ll be followed by another Arctic air outbreak for the first part of next week.
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