Midwest and Northeast Record Hundreds of Snowfall Reports as Widespread Winter System Drops Heavy Bands Across Multiple States
UNITED STATES — A broad swath of winter weather from the Midwest to the Northeast delivered a widespread stretch of accumulating snow over the past 24 hours, with thousands of reports submitted to National Weather Service offices by Sunday morning. The system tracked eastward across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and into New England, producing a corridor of steady light-to-moderate snow with pockets of heavier banding.
NWS data for the 24-hour period ending 11 a.m. ET on December 14 shows a dense cluster of snowfall totals spanning more than a thousand miles, highlighting just how widespread this winter event became.
Snowfall Overview Across the Region
Map data indicates that snowfall stretched from eastern Iowa and northern Illinois through Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and southern New England, creating a continuous band of measurable snow.
Higher totals appeared in localized zones where mesoscale snow bands developed, especially across:
- Eastern Iowa
- Northern Illinois
- Northern and central Indiana
- Central and southern Ohio
- Western and central Pennsylvania
- Upstate New York and interior New England
Color-coded NWS reporting markers show accumulations ranging mostly from 1 to 4 inches, with pockets of 5 to 8 inches in areas that experienced more persistent snow.
Midwest Snowfall Highlights
Iowa and Illinois
Much of eastern Iowa and northern Illinois reported widespread 1–3 inch totals, with denser clusters of 3–4 inch reports near the Mississippi River and extending toward Chicago’s western suburbs.
Indiana and Ohio
The snow band intensified across central Indiana and west-central Ohio, where many communities recorded 2–5 inches. Areas near Indianapolis, Dayton, and Columbus showed a heavy concentration of mid-range totals.
Northeast Snowfall Highlights
Pennsylvania and New York
A significant concentration of 3–6 inch reports appeared across western and central Pennsylvania, particularly along the I-80 corridor.
In New York, reports ranged from light accumulations near the lower Hudson Valley to heavier totals in interior parts of the state.
New England
Southern New England recorded a mix of 1–4 inch reports, with locally higher totals in elevated areas.
Why This System Produced Such Widespread Snow
Meteorologists note that this snowfall event was driven by:
- A fast-moving clipper-type disturbance
- Widespread cold air already in place
- Strong upper-level support allowing snow bands to expand over a large region
- Surface temperatures steady enough to support accumulation even during lighter snowfall periods
This combination allowed measurable snow to occur across multiple states in a relatively short window of time.
Travel and Visibility Impacts
The storm caused:
- Slippery roads across major interstate corridors
- Reduced visibility at times due to steady snow
- Minor but widespread travel delays through the morning hours
Although accumulation amounts were generally modest, the overall coverage made travel challenging across several states.
What Comes Next
Forecasters will continue tracking lingering lake-effect snow in areas downwind of the Great Lakes as colder air settles back into the region.
Additional winter systems may develop later in the week as active northern-branch energy interacts with cold air still entrenched across much of the northern United States.
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