A winter storm will dump up to 12 inches of snow across a large portion of the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. on Wednesday and Thursday.

The winter storm watch issued last night, set to start this afternoon, has quickly been expanded in size and upgraded to a more certain winter storm warning. The warning message now mentions near-blizzard conditions.

Pedestrians walk in the snow Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Northampton. A winter storm dropped several inches of snow across the Lehigh Valley, leading to messy travel conditions.

A blizzard is a couple of giant steps above a winter storm. According to the National Weather Service, a storm officially qualifies as a blizzard when winds reach or exceed 35 mph and when the visibility drops to only a quarter mile or less. These conditions need to stay active for at least 3 hours.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is urging Western New York to “take this storm seriously” as much of the region braces for a severe winter storm to start the week. The storm is bringing with it strong lake-effect snow,

As cold air continues to surge out of central Canada, more clipper storms will roll from the Midwest to the Northeast with rounds of snow, lake-effect snow and gusty winds into the middle of the new week.

Here's a look at snowfall totals from the storm on Sunday, January 18, 2026. As AccuWeather predicted, totals mostly ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Central Park reported just under an inch. ...Fairfield County... Bridgeport Airport 2.6 in Stratford 1.8 in 2 ...

Veteran meteorologist James Spann wrote that one of his go-to weather models, the system run by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (also known as the ECMWF) shows the possibility of prolonged freezing rain over part of Alabama (northern Alabama most likely).