Following a messy pattern with rain and freezing rain early on Monday, a strong cold front will move through with several rounds of snow showers from the Great Lakes to the East through the end of the week.

The pattern will favor the Upper Midwest, Western New York, and the western slopes of the Alleghenies from Pennsylvania to West Virginia for the highest snow totals this week, while New England and Quebec will see more modest snow totals.

Forecast for Mon (Dec 29) to Tue AM (Dec 30):

A storm will bring rain and freezing rain to the East during the day on Monday, but a strong cold front will move through later in the day, resulting in a changeover to snow showers behind the front across New England, the lake effect regions, and the Central Appalachians.

In the West, drier and warmer conditions can be expected for most areas, while a storm will bring snow to Northern British Columbia.

Forecast for Tue PM (Dec 30) to Wed AM (Dec 31):

In the East, a clipper storm arriving from the northwest will lead to lake effect snow showers re-developing from Michigan to New York and Pennsylvania, with snow showers extending as far south as West Virginia. Northern New England (especially Northern Vermont) and Quebec will see snow showers as well.

In the West, storms will continue to impact Northern BC while everywhere else stays dry.

Forecast for Wed PM (Dec 31) to Thu AM (Jan 1):

On New Year's Eve and into New Year's Day, a storm will make landfall in California, but temperatures will be warm, resulting in rain issues for Tahoe ski resorts with snow levels (rain/snow line) staying high. Light snow will eventually reach the Rockies on Thursday as well.

In the East, a stronger clipper storm arriving from the northwest will bring locally heavy snow showers to the Alleghenies in West Virginia, Maryland, and SW Pennsylvania, and to favored lake effect zones from Michigan to Western New York. Snow showers can also be expected over Northern New England.

Forecast for Thu PM (Jan 1) to Fri AM (Jan 2):

In the West, rain and high elevation snow will continue across the Sierra, ahead of another storm later Friday that looks to come in with colder temperatures and more favorable conditions for Tahoe resorts.

Snow will also pick up across the Rockies, though warm air and high snow levels are also expected for the Interior West, with some ski resorts seeing lower mountain rain.

In the Northwest, a weaker storm will arrive with light to moderate snow from Washington to British Columbia.

In the East, lake effect snow showers will continue from Western New York to West Virginia, with fewer/lighter snow showers for New England and Quebec.

Outlook for Sat (Jan 3) to Wed (Jan 7):

In the West, a split flow storm track is expected to set up along the West Coast, with the strongest storms in the southern branch favoring California while comparatively weaker storms in the northern branch favor Washington and British Columbia, with Oregon potentially seeing less moisture in between (though not a certainty).

Further inland, unseasonable warmth is expected to persist, with storms having a tendency to weaken as they move inland, favoring lighter snowfall across the Rockies. 

In the East, a colder airmass will hold in place with storms continuing to favor the Great Lakes and Northeast. 

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Wednesday (December 31).

Alan Smith 

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