Winter Storm Warnings for 26 Inches of Snow in 8 States Emerge

While some areas of the country have been experiencing a warmup, the National Weather Service (NWS) is warning of severe weather across areas of the U.S. starting on Saturday, Feb. 21, and running through Monday, Feb. 23.

The NWS has issued winter storm warnings and watches for large areas of the Northeast and surrounding areas, with weather experts warning of additional snowfall that could even bring up to 26 inches of snow to the region.

New England Looking at Up to 26 Inches of Snow

Notably, NWS research has projected up to 26 inches of snow to fall in areas of New England. According to a report from the Weather Prediction Center, "heavy snow" and "strong winds" are possible Sunday into Monday. "Confidence has increased for at least moderate snowfall across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, but the forecast remains highly uncertain," they stated in a post on X.

In a separate post shared just hours later, they warned that they have even more "increasing confidence on a winter storm with potentially significant impacts." The storm, according to their research, is estimated to bring an average of  6-12 inches of snow, but up to 26 is possible in certain regions.

The meteorologists at AccuWeather also have specifics on this storm, stating, "Areas from the Delaware and southern New Jersey beaches to eastern Long Island and southeastern New England can expect 6-12 inches of snow, with 3-6 inches from just northeast of Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, New York City and near Boston. In the higher terrain of West Virginia, 6–12 inches of snow are also forecast."

They add that their "Local StormMax" is 26 inches from late Saturday night to Sunday night.

'Pockets of Heavier Snow' Projected in Areas of Long Island, New York and Southern New Jersey

In their report, AccuWeather adds that the "most likely scenario" is for the storm to go too far east to bring the heaviest of snowfall to the full area of the I-95 corridor in the Northeast.

But, they state that "pockets of heavier snow are expected in portions of southeastern New England, Long Island, New York, southern New Jersey, Delmarva and farther west in a patch from northern Maryland to south-central Pennsylvania." Also, expect the storm to "strengthen rapidly," so if you're in those areas, be prepared and plan ahead.

Over on the West Coast, California is getting hit with historic snow totals, even for mountain regions, which are known for heavy snowstorm. California's Sierra Nevada have already measured more 90 inches of snow from 2026 storms, and additional accumulating snow is coming.

In warmer news, the NOAA shared on their official website that the majority of the United States is getting a warmup from Feb. 28 through March 6. The NOAA's official eight to 14 day outlook shows warmer conditions throughout 90 percent of the country.