First snow of the season falls in several states: Is a snowy winter ahead?
Snow made its first appearance of the season Thursday and Friday across portions of the eastern U.S., with flakes reported as far south as the mountains of North Carolina.
The sudden cold snap and first flakes mark a stark departure from the mild fall of recent weeks in the region.
In the Northeast, higher elevations saw the most accumulation. However, even the lower elevations of central and northern Pennsylvania and south-central New York saw some accumulation of snow. Widespread totals of up to a foot were reported across the two states, the National Weather Service said.
Snow also was reported in the Midwest Thursday, with Milwaukee and Indianapolis both picking up their first flakes of the winter season.
But don't read too much into the November snow. Meteorologists say first flakes tell you little about what's in store for the rest of winter.
One expert recently interviewed by Paste BN, University of Utah atmospheric scientist Jim Steenburgh, said the links between early (autumn) snowfall and winter snowfall are "tenuous," meaning early snow isn't necessarily a harbinger of a snowy winter.
Another, meteorologist Judah Cohen of Atmospheric and Environmental Research, agreed, saying the relationship between early snowfall and a snowy winter is "weak."
Snow in Cleveland and a blizzard in West Virginia
In Northeast Ohio, snow fell in Cleveland Thursday night during the football game between the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers, creating a wintry backdrop for the contest. Officially, 0.8 inch fell in Cleveland Thursday.
Over the ridges in western Maryland and the southwestern Pennsylvania mountains, a total of 6-12 inches of snow will have fallen by the time the storm winds down later Friday, AccuWeather said Friday.
A blizzard warning remained in effect Friday morning for portions of the West Virginia mountains, where the weather service said that additional snow accumulations between 9 and 14 inches were expected, with winds gusting as high as 50 mph.
Western North Carolina sees first snow
It's the first significant snowfall in the mountains of western North Carolina, still in recovery mode from the devastation from the effects of Hurricane Helene. In addition to the snow that's already fallen, the weather service said that total snow accumulations of 2 to 3 inches were likely in lower elevations, and 4 to 6 inches on ridgetops, with a few isolated ridgetop locations seeing up to 8 inches.
"In most areas, the heaviest rate of snow will occur into Friday morning," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Douty said. "In some areas already observing snow, wintry conditions may even linger into Saturday."
Forecasters predict mild, dry winter for many in 2024-2025
Federal forecasters in October said most of the USA's southern tier and the East Coast should see warmer-than-average temperatures this winter. In addition, most of the southern half of the USA – all the way from southern California to the Carolinas – should see less rain and snow than usual, which is potentially a concern for drought conditions.
“This winter, an emerging La Niña is anticipated to influence the upcoming winter patterns, especially our precipitation predictions,” Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch of the Climate Prediction Center, previously said in a statement. However, a weaker La Niña "implies that it would be less likely to result in conventional winter impacts," the CPC added.
The center's forecast covers the months of December, January and February, which is known as meteorological winter.