2026 Winter Forecast Heavy Snow Regions: Full Map Shows Where Snowstorms Could Hit

The 2026-27 winter could bring sharply different snowfall patterns across the US, with new long-range forecasts highlighting areas that may see heavier snow while others could receive below-normal snowfall.

The Farmers' Almanac has identified two main areas for heavy snow this winter: the interior Northeast and the southern Rockies. At the same time, its outlook points to a wetter and stormier southern US, while several northern areas could see quick cold snaps and brief snowy periods as a strengthening El Niño influences the wider weather pattern.

2026-27 Winter Forecast Map Shows Where Heavy Snow Could Fall

The Farmers' Almanac's forecast points to inland and higher-elevation parts of Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine as the main heavy-snow zone in the Northeast.

Several rounds of heavy, wet snow are expected in January and February, while coastal cities including New York and Boston could see more rain or mixed precipitation instead.

The second major heavy-snow region is the southern Rockies, including mountain areas of Colorado and New Mexico. The outlook also warns of sudden snow squalls around the Great Lakes, including parts of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Wisconsin, although the region is not identified as one of the two main heavy-snow areas.

The forecast is not limited to those areas. The Farmers' Almanac also expects an active southern storm track, with heavier-than-normal precipitation extending from California and the Southwest through Texas, the Gulf Coast and the Southeast, while colder air could allow some storms to bring sleet, freezing rain or heavy, wet snow.

States and Regions Facing Less Snow This Winter

A separate 2026-27 winter outlook from The Old Farmer's Almanac shows below-normal or near-to-below-normal snowfall across eight of its 18 regions. These include the Atlantic Corridor, Lower Lakes, Ohio Valley, Deep South, Upper Midwest, Heartland, High Plains and Desert Southwest.

The forecast calls for slightly below-normal snowfall in the Atlantic Corridor and Ohio Valley, near-to-below-normal snowfall in the Lower Lakes, Upper Midwest and Heartland, and below-normal snowfall in the Deep South and High Plains. The Desert Southwest is also expected to have below-normal snowfall in areas that typically receive snow.

The affected regions cover parts of the Northeast, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, Midwest, Plains and Southwest, although snowfall forecasts can vary considerably within each region. A single state can therefore contain areas with different snowfall forecasts.

The forecast does not mean these areas will avoid snow altogether. Some, particularly the Lower Lakes and parts of the Upper Midwest, are expected to be wetter than normal but could see precipitation fall as rain rather than snow when temperatures remain too high.

Polar Vortex Could Add Another Layer of Uncertainty

The polar vortex could further complicate the US winter forecast. Some long-range modelling suggests the stratospheric polar vortex could weaken later in the winter, potentially increasing the chances of Sudden Stratospheric Warming and allowing Arctic air to move farther south if the wider atmospheric pattern supports it.

However, a weakening polar vortex does not automatically mean a major freeze or widespread snowstorm. The eventual outcome depends on how the jet stream and other atmospheric patterns respond, and there is no certainty that a major Sudden Stratospheric Warming event will occur during winter 2026-27.

Supersized El Niño Could Shift US Snowfall Patterns

El Niño is becoming one of the defining factors in the 2026-27 winter outlook. NOAA's September 2026 forecast gives a greater than 90% chance of a very strong El Niño during the Northern Hemisphere autumn and winter, while putting the probability of a historic-strength event during October to December at 75%.

A very strong El Niño can shift the Pacific jet stream and storm track, increasing moisture across parts of the southern US while changing where cold air and snow are most likely to develop. NOAA's latest seasonal outlook shows El Niño strengthening through the end of 2026, although the exact US weather impacts remain uncertain.

The latest forecasts therefore point to a winter of strong regional contrasts rather than one uniform national snowfall pattern. The outlooks remain subject to change as winter approaches, particularly because seasonal forecasts cannot determine the timing, track or snowfall totals of individual storms.