Winter Storm Warnings Issued for 12 States for Valentine's Day Weekend

Valentine's Day weekend is supposed to be about love and adoration, but the National Weather Service is issuing winter storm warnings and weather statements for 12 states that are in line for a cold and snowy weekend.

So, even though the general weather trend for Thursday, Feb. 12, through Valentine's Day weekend is warmer for much of the U.S., a good portion of the country is still in line for winter weather.

"A front lingers near the Gulf Coast through Friday evening as a weak front tries to move inland over the West Coast. Upper-level energy moving across the Great Lakes will produce lake-effect snow downwind of the lakes, which will slowly wane by Friday evening," the NWS stated in an official memo. They add that other areas of the country are gearing up for heavy rain, stating, "Moisture will stream into the Southwest, producing light rain over the Southwest and expanding into the Southern Rockies and Western Texas."

Valentine's Day Weekend Winter Storm Warnings and Weather Statements

So, which states can expect snow on Valentine's Day weekend? According to a report from the weather researchers at AccuWeather, areas of West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine are all in line for a dose of snowfall from Sunday, Feb. 15, into Monday, Feb. 16. On top of those 12 states, it's possible the Great Lakes could see lake-effect snow, depending on how things shake out.

In a report out on Wednesday, Feb. 11, senior meteorologist Chad Merrill states that there's a chance the rain storm in the Southeast could reorganize "quickly enough to cut northward, toward the Great Lakes this weekend, rather than take a pretty much west-to-east track across the nation."

"A more intense storm such as this could increase the stakes for severe weather over the Mississippi and Ohio valleys and could push substantial snow and ice farther north into the Northeast," Alex Sosnowski, senior meteorologist, adds in the report. "A storm tracking farther to the north could mean much less rain for part of the Southeast, states as well."

A Much-Needed Warmup Going Into Valentine's Day Weekend

The good news for those ready to ditch the snow and cold is that much of the U.S. is enjoying warmer than normal weather the week leading into Valentine's Day.

"Above average conditions continue for much of the country, particularly for the central U.S. as well as across the southern tier where temperatures are running as much as 15-20 degrees above mid-February averages," the National Weather Service states in a post on X. "Forecast highs the next couple of days range in the 40s and 50s for the northern Plains; the 50s and 60s for the central Plains into the Middle Mississippi Valley; and the 60 and 70s across the Southwest, southern Plains, and into the Southeast."