Nor'easter This Week: Where the First Snow Could Fall in the Northeast

Last updated: Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, 7:55 p.m. ET. Forecasts for this storm are still shifting, and the track should come into focus by Tuesday or Wednesday.

After one of the warmest starts to November in years, the Northeast is about to get a reminder of what month it is. A nor'easter is expected to take shape late this week, and behind it comes the coldest air most of the East has felt this fall.

For a lot of people, the headline is snow. Not a big-city snowstorm, at least not with this one, but the first flakes of the season for a wide stretch of the interior Northeast, according to forecasters at USA Today, Weather.com and Fox Weather.

When the nor'easter arrives

The setup starts in the middle of the country. Fox Weather says a wave of low pressure should organize over the Ohio Valley late Wednesday, then move toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast by late Thursday. By Thursday night, Weather.com expects a second low to form off the East Coast, and that's the piece that turns into the nor'easter.

In New England, NBC Boston expects the storm to start late Thursday, Nov. 12, and wrap up by very late Friday night or early Saturday, Nov. 14. Wednesday looks like the nicest day of the week there before clouds, wind and rain move in.

There's still real uncertainty. NOAA's Weather Prediction Center said the track and impacts aren't settled, and NBC Boston noted that some computer models keep the storm far enough offshore to leave Boston dry, with only gusty wind and rough surf.

Where the first snow of the season could fall

The odds of accumulating snow are highest in the high country. Weather.com points to the mountains of northern New England, upstate New York and the Appalachians. Fox Weather specifically mentions parts of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and upstate New York, with snow possibly reaching south along the Appalachians.

AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham told USA Today that Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Binghamton could see their first snowflakes of the season, along with the Poconos, the Catskills and the Berkshires. The Weather Prediction Center has flagged higher ground in Pennsylvania and West Virginia as places where early snow is possible.

Lake-effect snow is part of this, too. Once the storm pulls away and cold air rushes across the still-warm Great Lakes, narrow bands of rain and wet snow are likely downwind of the lakes.

Nobody is putting out snow totals yet. NBC Boston called it too early, and that's fair: this is a storm where a shift of 50 miles decides whether a town gets rain or a slushy inch.

Will the big cities see snow?

Probably not. Overnight lows along the I-95 corridor should stay above freezing, Weather.com said, and the ocean is still mild enough to keep the coast wet rather than white. That covers Washington, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston.

What those cities can expect is a cold, raw rain with wind. Fox Weather said scattered showers could cause minor travel delays on I-95, though overall impacts there look limited. Along the New England coast, NBC Boston expects gusts that could top 40 mph at times.

How cold it will get

The rain or snow is only half the story. Whatever the storm does, a deep dip in the jet stream is going to pull Canadian air south starting late Friday.

Weather.com meteorologist Rob Shackelford told USA Today that highs will fall about 20 degrees from Wednesday to Friday in a band from Chicago to Atlanta. Fox Weather expects highs only in the 30s or 40s across the Northeast, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, with lows in the 20s. By Sunday, the chill could reach the Gulf Coast and Florida.

For millions of people, that means the first frost or freeze of the season. If you've still got tender plants outside or hoses hooked up, Thursday or Friday is a sensible time to deal with them.

The good news for anyone not ready for winter: it won't last. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center expects warmer-than-average temperatures to return to the East next week, and the country is still on track for one of its 10 warmest Novembers on record.

Is snow this early unusual?

Not really. Meteorologist Matt Lanza wrote in his newsletter The Eyewall that November snow in the Northeast isn't unusual. Albany and Scranton average a couple of inches in November, he noted, and New York City averages about half an inch.

His caution is that this storm may not have enough cold air to work with. Temperatures look marginal, and a moderate storm can't drag down much colder air on its own. That's why the forecast leans toward rain in most places and snow mainly where elevation helps.

What a nor'easter actually is

A nor'easter is a large, strong low-pressure system that forms off the East Coast, usually from late fall through early spring. The name comes from the strong northeast winds these storms push across the coast as they move up the Atlantic seaboard.

The worst ones bring heavy snow, flooding rain and coastal flooding, and damage from the most severe storms can top $1 billion. This week's system isn't forecast to be in that class, but the I-95 corridor, home to tens of millions of people, is the region these storms hit hardest.

Before you travel this weekend

If you're driving across upstate New York, Pennsylvania's mountains or northern New England on Friday or Saturday, check the forecast again Thursday. Wet snow on untreated roads is the main risk in the hills, and it's often worse than the totals suggest because early-season drivers aren't used to it yet.

Flying out of the Northeast? Wind and low clouds can slow airports even when it's only raining. If you're already booking trips for later in the month, our look at why holiday flights are so expensive this year has the fare picture. And for a reminder of how fast a storm can turn dangerous, see our report on the Las Vegas flash flooding around Halloween.

We'll update this story when forecasters settle on a track and start putting out snow totals.