Major arctic storm to blanket Midwest and Northeast on Christmas night bringing ice blast and flurries to millions
A powerful winter storm is due to blanket much of the US in ice and snow over the next three days from Christmas evening.
Meteorologists have warned that freezing conditions are on the way for the Northeast and Midwest from Thursday evening through to Saturday.
Residents in northern Minneapolis and Wisconsin will be hit first on the night of Christmas, followed by Michigan and Pennsylvania on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, up to half a foot of snowfall is predicted for New York City, northern New Jersey, the southern Hudson Valley and western Pennsylvania.
Up to 0.2 inches of ice is expected in northeastern West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Detroit.
Authorities have warned drivers not to travel on the I-80 and I-70 unless their journey is necessary.
‘This winter storm is likely to generate treacherous travel conditions and delays following Christmas Day,’ the National Weather Service said.
Temperatures are expected to plunge to 19F in Maine, 22F in New York, 25F in Connecticut, and 32F in Pennsylvania.
A powerful winter storm is due to blanket much of the US in ice and snow over the next three days from Christmas evening. (Pictured: A surfer walks toward the ocean during a snowstorm that brought big waves to Pine Point in Scarborough, Maine, U.S., December 24, 2025)
Pictured: Snow in Maine on Christmas Eve, as the winter storm sweeps the Northeast
A powerful winter storm is due to blanket much of the US in ice and snow over the next three days from Christmas evening
Predicted temperatures are slightly below average for the time of year.
New York City residents could see the ‘biggest snowstorm of the season so far’ according to AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Several major cities throughout the Northeast are expected to see significant snowfall.
Three to six inches of snow is expected in NYC and Syracuse, New York; Hartford, Connecticut.
Meanwhile, one to three inches is expected to dust Boston, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington DC residents can expect to see a festive dusting of white powder.
Meanwhile on the West Coast, California residents are bracing for a second wave of life-threatening floods as roads turned to rivers and mudslides engulfed homes on Christmas Day.
The holiday period is forecast to be a washout for the Golden State this year, with meteorologists warning that up to eight inches of rain is expected to hit several areas including Los Angeles County and Santa Barbara over the next four days.
California officials have warned holiday travelers to avoid roads due to the series of winter storms which are continuing to bring flash flooding and even tornadoes.
Hundreds of residents have been evacuated, while 160,000 homes were without power on Christmas morning, according to PowerOutage.com.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Shasta counties as the winds and rain intensified.
Areas like Altadena which were scorched by the wildfires in January are especially vulnerable, as residents were only just beginning to rebuild when the floods struck their partially-constructed properties.
The burn scar areas were also stripped of vegetation by fire, making the land less able to absorb water.
Storms began to move in late Tuesday evening and were expected to intensify throughout Christmas Day, meanwhile a ‘clipper’ weather system is due to submerge much of the West Coast and Midwest in rain and snow.
Meteorologists have warned that freezing conditions are on the way for the Northeast and Midwest from Thursday evening through to Saturday
Wednesday when mud and debris rushed down a road leading into Wrightwood, a resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear how many were rescued.
Firefighters also went door to door to check homes, and the area was under a shelter-in-place order, officials said. An evacuation order was issued for Lytle Creek, also in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Travis Guenther and his family were trapped in Lytle Creek after roaring waters washed out the only bridge in or out of their neighborhood. More than a dozen neighbors took shelter at a community center or found hotel rooms.
‘Everybody that left to go to work this morning is stuck,’ he said. ‘Half the families are here, and half the families are on the other side of the creek.’
Guenther said he had plenty of supplies and was coordinating with other in the community of about 280 people. Two nurses who live on his street offered to help anyone who may need medical attention.
Janice Quick, president of the Wrightwood Chamber of Commerce and a resident of the mountain town for 45 years, said a wildfire in 2024 left much of the terrain without tree coverage.
