More travel chaos ahead as first Nor'easter of La Niña winter season slams East Coast with rain, ice and snow
According to the Fox Forecast Center, some computer forecast models are drawing an extremely sharp boundary between rain and snow, which is currently expected to set up just inland of I-95.
First Nor'easter of winter season to slam East Coast with rain, ice and snow
The first Nor'easter of the winter season will move out of the Southeast and up along the East Coast late Monday night through Wednesday. The heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor will likely see mostly rain, with ice forecast for the Appalachians and higher elevations in Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. The heaviest snow will fall across the interior Northeast. Winter Storm Watch has been posted for parts of central and upstate New York, western Massachusetts, southern Vermont, southern New Hampshire and Southern Maine.
ALBANY, N.Y. — A powerful nor'easter is expected to slam parts of the East Coast with some combination of rain, ice and snow, including the densely populated northeast portion of Interstate 95 corridor, and potentially compound travel headaches that resulted from the storm that slammed the Midwest this weekend, as this La Niña winter season gets underway.
![CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 30: Several planes wait in line to taxi down a runway after a winter snow storm affected the area at O'Hare International airport on November 30, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Close to seven inches of snow were measured at O'Hare as the Federal Aviation Administration is dealing with busy Thanksgiving travel and is expected to have more than 360,000 flights to their destinations.]()
Image 1 of 4CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 30: Several planes wait in line to taxi down a runway after a winter snow storm affected the area at O'Hare International airport on November 30, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Close to seven inches of snow were measured at O'Hare as the Federal Aviation Administration is dealing with busy Thanksgiving travel and is expected to have more than 360,000 flights to their destinations. ((Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images))
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Image 2 of 4CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 29: Field crew member clears snow off the field during the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Champaign, Illinois. ((Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images))
![A pedestrians pulls a roller bag through the snow during a snowstorm in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Hundreds of flights have been canceled in and around Chicago and roads are becoming treacherous as one of the busiest travel weekends of the year collides with a major storm bringing wintery conditions throughout the US Midwest Saturday.]()
Image 3 of 4A pedestrian pulls a roller bag through the snow during a snowstorm in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Hundreds of flights have been canceled in and around Chicago and roads are becoming treacherous as one of the busiest travel weekends of the year collides with a major storm bringing wintery conditions throughout the US Midwest Saturday. (Photographer: Jim Vondruska/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
![A Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Blue Line train passes through a residential neighborhood during a snowstorm in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Hundreds of flights have been canceled in and around Chicago and roads are becoming treacherous as one of the busiest travel weekends of the year collides with a major storm bringing wintery conditions throughout the US Midwest Saturday.]()
Image 4 of 4A Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Blue Line train passes through a residential neighborhood during a snowstorm in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Hundreds of flights have been canceled in and around Chicago and roads are becoming treacherous as one of the busiest travel weekends of the year collides with a major storm bringing wintery conditions throughout the US Midwest Saturday. (Photographer: Jim Vondruska/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A fast-moving area of low pressure will move out of the Southeast and up along the East Coast late beginning Monday night through Wednesday.
According to the Fox Forecast Center, some computer forecast models are drawing an extremely sharp boundary between rain and snow, which is currently expected to set up just inland of I-95.
SNOW, SLEET, FREEZING RAIN AND HAIL: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
(FOX Weather)
While temperatures will likely be too warm for snow along the coast, periods of heavy rain Tuesday could cause travel delays at airports in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Newark, New Jersey, New York City and Boston.
LA NIÑA OFFICIALLY ARRIVES. HERE'S WHAT IT MEANS FOR WINTER IN THE US
(FOX Weather)
Heavy snow is forecast for the interior Northeast, as the storm taps into some of the coldest arctic air of the season that will set up over the region.
Winter Storm Watches have been posted for parts of central and upstate New York, western Massachusetts, southern Vermont, southern New Hampshire and southern Maine beginning Monday night.
WINTER STORM WARNING EXPLAINED
Winter Storm Alerts are in effect from the Ohio Valley to Maine, which will see between 3-5 inches of snow, while 5-8 inches are expected across upstate New York and interior New England.
The effects of the snow will be amplified across higher elevations, including parts of the Adirondacks, Green and White mountain ranges through Wednesday morning.
(FOX Weather)
Meanwhile, where exactly the rain-snow line sets up could have significant impacts on drivers. Anywhere between a coating and 0.25 of an inch of ice is forecast for roads in the Appalachians, particularly in West Virginia and Virginia.
Higher elevations in Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, New York's Mid-Hudson Valley and Connecticut could also see ice accumulating.
(FOX Weather)
However, small accumulations, even a quarter of an inch of ice, can be extremely dangerous for drivers and pedestrians alike.
THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF ICE STORMS
Farther south, icy conditions are forecast for the mountains of western North Carolina, where many communities are still recovering from devastating Hurricane Helene in 2024.
This low-pressure system is expected to maintain its speed and clear out by Wednesday morning.
FILE - A man walks through the snow with a scarf over his face in Washington, DC, on January 8, 2014, as dry and unseasonably cold weather hits the area. An Arctic blast sweeping Canada and parts of the United States this week closed schools, grounded jets, killed at least four people, and even shook the ground. AFP PHOTO/JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Another round of even colder arctic air is expected to reach the East Coast by Thursday, which could create slick roads during the morning rush.
The presence of a La Niña pattern historically tends to bring more frequent nor'easters along the Eastern Seaboard, which saw several coastal storms this past fall.
WHAT ARE EL NINO AND LA NINA CLIMATE PATTERNS?
NOAA indicated that the U.S. may shift back to neutral conditions around the start of January.