Chicago, Illinois – A powerful surge of arctic air is keeping the lake-effect snow machine running across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes as the region heads into New Year’s Day, with dangerous snow squalls possible from the Ohio Valley into Pennsylvania and western New York.
According to the National Weather Service, heavy lake-effect snow will be reinforced as an Alberta clipper drops southeast through the Great Lakes today, followed closely by another push of arctic air. The most intense snowfall is expected downwind of Lakes Erie and Ontario, where additional accumulations of 1 to 2 feet are likely, with isolated totals topping 3 feet in the most persistent bands.
As the arctic front barrels east, fast-moving snow squalls may develop later today and tonight across Indiana, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and western New York. These squalls can bring sudden whiteout conditions, gusty winds, and rapid ice buildup on untreated roads, including stretches of I-70, I-71, I-80, and the New York Thruway. Travel could become hazardous with little warning.
Snow showers will also extend across parts of the Upper Midwest and interior New England as the clipper races east. By New Year’s Day, the system is expected to intensify over New England, spreading accumulating snow across much of the region, with the heaviest totals likely in Maine.
Blustery winds and reinforcing cold will drive wind chills sharply lower into New Year’s Day, while additional advisories and warnings may be issued as snow bands shift and squalls develop.
