Updated November 10, 2026, 4:52 p.m. ET
Although not a blockbuster storm, the northeast storm will bring the first snowflakes of the season to parts of the eastern United States by the end of the week, forecasters said.
“The best chances for accumulating snow extend from the northern New England mountains to upstate New York and the Appalachians,” Weather.com meteorologist Rob Shackelford said in an online forecast.
This snow would be the “first of the season” in many of these areas, he added.
Additionally, lake-effect snow will fly around the Great Lakes over the next few days, forecasters said.
Another big story, besides the snow, will be the cold air. Cold air moving from the Midwest and Northeast will bring the lowest temperatures of the season so far across much of the eastern United States, AccuWeather said.
According to a map from NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center, low temperatures by Saturday, Nov. 14, will dip into the 20s and 30s across much of the United States east of the Mississippi River, except for central and southern Florida.
The risk of freezing and frost will extend from northeast Texas to near northern Florida and the Interstate 95 corridor of the Carolinas.
Great Lakes
Although not directly due to the Northeast, lake effect snow will fall in the Great Lakes region over the next few days. “Surface temperatures will be coldest over Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where multi-band snow from northerly winds will likely accumulate several inches Thursday (Nov. 12) through Friday (Nov. 13) (and beyond),” NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center said in an online forecast discussion.
“A prolonged period of lake-effect snow is expected Wednesday evening (November 11) through Saturday morning (November 14),” the National Weather Service in Marquette, Michigan, said. “The most notable periods seem to be during the night, particularly Thursday evening (November 12).”
Three to six inches of snow could fall in parts of Michigan, the weather service said.
Additionally, northward flow along the long axis of Lake Michigan could bring a heavy band of rain and snow to northwest Indiana Thursday evening (Nov. 12) through Friday morning (Nov. 13), the WPC said. “While temperatures are marginal, there is potential for a narrow area of modest wet snow overnight if rates are high enough.”
New York/New England
In Buffalo, where lake effect snow can sometimes turn into a disastrous event, this storm appears to be very minor: “Although the weather will be cold and unsettled from Thursday, November 12 through Saturday, November 14, the latest data suggests minimal impacts to winter weather during this period,” the Buffalo Weather Service said.
Farther east, there is a 60 to 80 percent chance of light to moderate accumulation of wet snow over the higher terrain of the northern and central Adirondacks and northern Vermont Green Mountains Thursday through Friday (Nov. 12-13), the weather service in Burlington, Vermont, said.
“The combination of precipitation from the north/northwest side of the outgoing Mid-Atlantic system and slightly cold incoming air from the west-northwest will result in periods of light to moderate snow, particularly over the higher terrain of the Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains of Vermont/New Hampshire,” the WPC added.
The chance of at least 4 inches of snow is greater than 50% above about 3,500 feet, the WPC said. Minor impacts are likely.
Mid-Atlantic/Appalachia
Confidence is increasing for accumulating snowfall in the West Virginia mountains this Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday (Nov. 14), the Pittsburgh Weather Service said.
In West Virginia, “several inches of snow will accumulate” in the highest elevations of the mountains, the weather service in Charleston, West Virginia, said.
Parts of the southern Appalachians could also receive accumulating snow by the end of the week, forecasters said. Accumulations are expected to be quite light, with a common expected total of 1 inch in the mountains that form the Tennessee-North Carolina border. A high elevation point in North Carolina (Newfound Gap) could see up to 5 inches, the weather service said.
“Temperatures are becoming cold enough that there is a threat of snow, primarily in the higher elevations along the Tennessee border,” the weather service in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, said, adding that a winter weather advisory may be needed for that area.
Frost/frost in the South
By the end of the week and into the weekend, the growing season will likely end across much of the Southeast as subzero temperatures are expected, AccuWeather said.
“The concern is how long temperatures stay below freezing, especially when values are in the 20s,” AccuWeather expert meteorologist Tyler Roys said in an email to USA TODAY. “Several hours of cold weather can damage sensitive crops and end the growing season in some communities.”
Nighttime temperatures from Texas to northern Florida and the Interstate 95 corridor of the Carolinas will generally fall into the low 30s, with colder locations into the 20s.
The coldest air will settle over the lower Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley Friday night (Nov. 13) through Saturday (Nov. 14) before moving into the southern Appalachians and Piedmont Saturday night through Sunday (Nov. 14-15), according to AccuWeather.
Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, specializing in weather and climate.
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