A powerful winter storm is bringing extreme weather to the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast this weekend.

The National Weather Service (NWS) says the system will intensify over the next few days and conditions are expected 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 posted on Saturday.

Heavy snow and whiteout conditions are forecasted across parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region, causing “treacherous travel,” the NWS said. More than a foot of snow could fall along Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Western New York and Northwest Pennsylvania are expected to receive lake-effect snow.

The storm has slammed the Northeast, dumping up to nearly 8 inches of snow on New York City and surrounding areas between Friday and Saturday. The weather snarled traffic along the I-95 corridor and disrupted air travel. Flight tracker, Flightaware.com, showed more than 1,000 delays across U.S. airports on Saturday evening. Nearly 1,000 flights were cancelled into, out of and within the U.S. as of Saturday evening.

The NWS is also warning of dangerous ice across parts of the Northeast, including ice accumulation of up to a quarter of an inch in eastern New York, parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Bitter wind chills as low as -35 degrees are expected in parts of North Dakota and up to -25 degrees in northern Minnesota.

Meanwhile, it will feel more like spring across parts of the South and into the Tennessee Valley, where temperatures could reach highs in the 70s for this time of year, according to forecasters.

Roads and sidewalks could be slick Saturday morning after the region saw a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain overnight.

Thankfully, temperatures will get above freezing during the day, but there could be black ice overnight — and we’re tracking more precipitation still to come for your weekend.

Planning your Saturday

Slick roads and icy conditions continue into this afternoon, although we will see some good melting in many spots that hover above freezing. 

Tonight, everyone will dip below freezing again, so expect wet areas to become icy. Black ice will be a problem overnight and into early Sunday.  

Saturday trends quieter overall, but travel remains an issue early. We’ve wrapped up our NEXT Weather Alert for this morning, with no additional wintry precipitation expected. Clouds lift through the day, though it stays seasonably cold and breezy.

Planning your Sunday

Sunday will start out cold but dry, a good time to get a run out to the store to get some groceries or return some gifts (the earlier, the better, as another weather maker arrives Sunday evening into Monday).

It’s a warmer system, so we’ll go from salting the driveway to needing the umbrellas, especially on Monday.

The NEXT big weather change

Sunday turns milder as a warm front lifts north, bringing rain late in the day into Sunday night. Any brief freezing rain risk stays confined to the southern Poconos and far northwest New Jersey. 

Monday is the highest-impact day, with temperatures surging into the 50s and low 60s ahead of a strong cold front, followed by showers, possibly a rumble of thunder, and very strong winds. Gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible, and wind advisories may be needed. 

Looking ahead, a fast-moving system late Thursday into Friday could bring a brief window of light snow, though confidence remains low. 

Restrictions on the roadways

On Friday, PennDOT restricted speeds to 45 mph on these roads because of the weather: 

• Interstates 76, 95, 295, 476, 676
• U.S. Routes 1, 30, 202, 422
• State Routes 63, 100 Spur and 309

PennDOT says restrictions will be lifted as soon as conditions are safe.

In New Jersey, acting Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency across the state because of the storm. 

The New Jersey Department of Transportation also enacted temporary restrictions starting Friday afternoon for tractor-trailers, empty CDL trucks, RVs, motorcycles, and passenger vehicles pulling trailers for I-78, I-80, I-280, I-287, and Route 440.

The state of emergency is in place until officials decide it’s no longer needed, an announcement from the governor’s office said.

Here’s your 7-day forecast:

Saturday: NEXT Weather Alert for morning snow and ice. High 36, low 28.  

Sunday: Chance of rain late. High 40, low 26.

Monday: Mild with showers. High 56, low 36.

Tuesday: Windy and very cold. High 34, low 28.

Wednesday/New Year’s Eve: Chilly end to 2025. High 37, low 27.

Thursday/New Year’s Day: Cold start to 2026. High 32, low 27.

Friday: Still cold but dry. High 36, low 23.

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