Philadelphia, PA – A wetter and colder pattern is setting up along the East Coast next week as November closes and December begins, bringing a heightened chance for rain and the first flakes of the season for some inland communities.
According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, temperatures from Nov. 29 through Dec. 5 are expected to run below normal across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with the strongest cold anomalies centered from Pennsylvania into New York and New England. This early-season chill may allow some systems to produce mixed precipitation or snow, especially in higher elevations and interior valleys.
On the precipitation side, NOAA’s outlook shows a strong signal for above-normal precipitation from Georgia through the Carolinas, Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic, and up into the Northeast. The corridor of highest confidence for wetter-than-normal conditions stretches from the Ohio Valley into the East Coast, suggesting several rounds of storms are likely during the period.
Coastal cities including Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. are most likely to see cold rain, while areas farther inland—such as western Maryland, central Pennsylvania, interior New York, and northern New England—could see periods of wintry mix or early-season snowfall, depending on storm track and timing.
Forecasters emphasize that this pattern does not indicate a single major storm, but rather a series of disturbances that could bring travel impacts, slick roads, and reduced visibility at times as the holiday travel season begins.
Residents along the East Coast are encouraged to monitor daily forecasts, especially those living in colder interior locations where rain may transition to sleet or snow.
