The Great Lakes are in for a winter wonderland weekend as lake-effect snow makes its way to the region. Some areas could see 1–2 feet of snow, bringing the first signs of a La Niña winter.
A fast-moving area of low pressure which brought snow to the Dakotas on Saturday morning, is now moving toward the Great Lakes and the Northeast, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
HOW LA NIÑA, POLAR VORTEX WINDS COULD FUEL A FAST-START TO BRUTAL WINTER FOR PARTS OF THE US
(FOX Weather)
For some parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast, this system could produce the first measurable snowfall of the season.
By Sunday, the fast-moving low will be positioned across Central Illinois, allowing for moisture to continue to funnel into portions of the Midwest and Great Lakes. Cold air will continue to be drawn down from Canada, allowing for snow to occur.
Lake-effect snow blankets Ashtabula County, while heavy snow across the Great Lakes, bury parts of Erie, Pennsylvania, and Cassadaga and New York under feet of snow in Ohio, United States on December 03, 2024.
(Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Northwest Indiana could see up to two feet of snow, while parts of Michigan and upstate New York are likely to see 8–12 inches with locally higher amounts possible.
Chicago could see anywhere from no snow to three inches, leading to the National Weather Service office in Chicago to issue a Winter Storm Watch.
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(FOX Weather)
This is the first Winter Storm Watch issued by Chicago in seven years in the month of November, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
By Sunday night, the low pressure will continue to move east, allowing for more lake-effect snow to occur near Lake Michigan.
An intense band of snow is forecast to set up and continue overnight Sunday through Monday morning.
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(FOX Weather)
The area of low pressure will move into the Northeast Monday into Tuesday, bringing snow downwind of lakes Erie and Ontario.
Areas just inland of the Great Lakes in upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio are likely to see 8-12 inches of snow.
ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES – DECEMBER 2: An unforgiving lake-effect snow blankets the Great Lakes, disrupting daily life in New York and Pennsylvania, United States on December 02, 2024. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Heavier snow bands will set up as the low pressure continues to move through and eventually out of the Northeast.
Outside the snow, winds will be very gusty as this low continues to pivot through. Wind gusts up to 35–40 mph are possible, closer to the area of low pressure and the Great Lakes.
