Christmas Travel Weather: Snow Spreads East | Weather.com

Christmas travel weather caused headaches for some either driving or flying to their holiday destination in parts of the U.S. on Friday.

(​MORE: Christmas Travel Forecast | White Christmas Forecast | 12 Best Travel Products)

H​ere are our updates from Friday.

(​4:35 p.m ET) Saturday Travel Outlook

Tomorrow, there may still be some slippery roads in parts of New England and the Appalachians. Most snowfall should have ended by midday, except for a few lake-effect bands off Lake Erie in Ohio and western Pennsylvania, and off Lake Michigan into northern Indiana or southwest Lower Michigan.

T​he main weather headache for travel then shifts to the West, with rain and higher mountain snow expected from Northern California to Washington and Oregon through the weekend.

F​or a full Christmas travel forecast, click here.

(​4:21 p.m ET) Winter Solstice Ahead

We’re now 12 hours away from the winter solstice.

T​his astronomical arrival of winter in the Northern Hemisphere happens at 4:21 a.m. ET Saturday morning.

F​or more on the solstice and what it means, check out Chris DeWeese’s article on weather.com here.

(​4:05 p.m. ET) Appalachians Snow

Winter weather advisories are in effect until 1 p.m. Saturday in the Appalachians from West Virginia to the Smokies of east Tennessee and western North Carolina, including areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene.

S​nowfall totals locally over 6 inches are possible over the highest elevations. Coupled with wind gusts at times up to 50 mph, that could lead to dangerous driving conditions. Wind chills may plunge into the single digits or teens over the mountains tonight.

(​3:35 p.m. ET) New York City’s Mixed Bag

A​s quite often the case, the New York City Tri-state area has been a potpourri of precipitation types today.

I​t’s been mainly wet snow in New Jersey and up the Hudson Valley. In the five boroughs, it’s been a mix or rain, wet snow and even a little sleet. On the rest of Long Island, it’s been mainly rain, where surface temperatures have been in the mid to upper 30s.

H​ere was a view this afternoon from Manhattan.

(​3:00 p.m. ET) Wreck Shuts Down Stretch Of Mass. Pike

According to the Massachusetts DOT and Auburn Fire Rescue Department, a multi-vehicle wreck occurred on the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 90, eastbound between state route 56 and exit 90 in Auburn, just south of Worcester, around 1:30 p.m.

No injuries were reported, but this stretch of the Mass Pike eastbound was shut down. This illustrates how you don’t need heavy snow accumulations on roads to make driving slippery and hazardous.

(​2:40 p.m. ET) A Different Kind Of ‘Whiteout’

B​ianca Barr, content manager at weather.com and resident of State College, Pennsylvania, pointed out these cool photos of Beaver Stadium the day before the Penn State Nittany Lions host the SMU Mustangs in the first round of the College Football Playoff’s first round.

We can’t completely rule out flurries, the accumulating snowfall will be over by Saturday’s Noon ET kickoff.

(​2:20 p.m. ET) A View From Snowy Boston

The photo below was sent to us moments ago by weather.com Morning Brief senior writer Chris DeWeese from Boston’s Logan Airport.

H​e said he didn’t have any flight delays, but the drive from Logan Airport had some slush on an elevated section of freeway in the city.

T​he National Weather Service officially measured 0.5 inch of snow at Logan Airport as of 1 p.m. ET. Dedham, Massachusetts, just inside Route 128 has picked up 2 inches of snow, so far.

I​t continues to snow downtown and in most of the metro area except the south shore and Cape Cod, where winds off the ocean and Cape Cod Bay is keeping precipitation as rain.

(​1:55 p.m. ET) Ground Stops At NYC Airports

This just in from the FAA, there are now ground stops for all arrivals into JFK, LaGuardia and Newark due to either snow and ice (LGA and EWR), or volume (JFK).

C​heck your flight status before heading to the airport if you have a flight into the NYC metro this afternoon.

(​1:45 p.m. ET) Obstructed View

One of my favorite photographers, Dave DiCello, captured this view of Pittsburgh this morning, obstructed by a wall of light snow and low clouds. Here is what the view would normally look like.

So far, about an inch of snow has been reported with some patchy areas of light snow persisting in western Pennsylvania.

(​1:30 p.m. ET) A Ground Delay Now, A Big Game Tonight

The FAA is now reporting a ground delay for departures to Indiana’s South Bend Regional Airport, with average delays just over an hour and fifteen minutes due to snow and ice.

We’re now approaching 6 hours from kickoff of tonight’s game between the host Fighting Irish and Indiana Hoosiers.

Elsewhere in the Northeast, a ground stop is now posted for Boston-Logan (due to low clouds) and JFK Airport (due to traffic volume). Deicing delays continue at Detroit, Pittsburgh, Windsor Locks Bradley Field and Providence, Rhode Island.

(​12:20 p.m. ET) First One Foot Plus Snow Total

A reliable rule of thumb I’ve noticed in over 28 years in meteorology is to “take the over” when it comes to snowfall forecasts for Alberta Clipper systems in the Midwest.

We just received the first one-foot-plus snowfall total of the event, 13.8 inches of snow measured near Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, about 30 miles northeast of Madison.

(​12:10 p.m. ET) Where The Snow Is Now

Light snow is falling over much of Pennsylvania north and west of a line from Allentown to Lancaster and over much of central and western New York state.

Rain is mixing in with snow in Ohio, while patchy light snow continues in eastern Indiana and mainly eastern Lower Michigan.

(​11:50 a.m. ET) California Fog Headaches

We mentioned earlier a ground stop was in place at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field due to fog.

Departures from LAX are now being delayed briefly, and departures to John Wayne Airport in Orange County are now grounded due to low clouds and fog, according to the FAA.

A dense fog advisory is in effect for parts of L.A. and Ventura County until 9 a.m. PT.

Meanwhile, the Central Valley’s famed “Tule fog” is solidly in place. A dense fog advisory remains in effect, there, until 11 a.m. PT.

(​11:25 a.m. ET) The Lake’s Effect Has Arrived In Chicago

Lake-effect bands of snow have moved into Chicagoland, including the northwest Indiana suburbs, according to radar and satellite imagery.

For now that snow is light. According to the NWS-Chicago office, this lake-effect snow is forecast to shift primarily into northwest Indiana tonight, with potential slippery travel on the Indiana Toll Road, as well as Interstates 65 and 94.

(​11:10 a.m. ET) Ground Delay Now At Boston

The FAA is now reporting a ground delay for departures to Boston-Logan Airport, with average delays of 49 minutes.

H​ere was a nice aerial video taken this morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts, showing snow-covered ground along the Charles River.

(​10:50 a.m. ET) Airport Delays Continue

According to the FAA, dense fog has triggered a ground stop for all departures to San Diego’s Lindbergh Field.

We also have deicing delays being reported at Boston-Logan, Washington-Reagan National, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Salt Lake City.

(​10:40 a.m. ET) Two Main Pockets Of Snow

The latest radar shows two prime pockets of steady light snow: Indiana into western Ohio and western and central Pennsylvania into western and central New York.

So far, temperatures in the mid-30s are keeping most roads wet, not yet too slushy in Cincinnati, according to Ohio DOT cams.

Light rain is falling in the Washington, D.C. metro. But farther north, some wet snowflakes are now falling in Newark and Trenton, New Jersey.

(​10:20 a.m. ET) Higher Snow Potential

The National Weather Service has just issued a winter weather advisory for parts of southeast Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island. This includes much of the Boston metro area except the south shore and Cape Cod.

Intermittent light snow has already been reported this morning at Boston’s Logan Airport.

The map below shows the “high end snowfall” potential from the National Weather Service forecast. In other words, this is generally the highest snowfall that is possible through Saturday morning. As you can see, there is potential for a few 6-inch-plus totals in parts of eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island through Saturday morning, if the setup is right.

(​9:35 a.m. ET) Snow Before The Game

Chris Dolce, weather.com senior meteorologist, noticed this photo sent early this morning from Notre Dame Stadium. The Fighting Irish are hosting the Indiana Hoosiers tonight in the first game of the College Football Playoff.

Any snowfall should be over by the 8 p.m. ET kickoff. That should allow crews to clear snow off the field. But those traveling to the game from northern Illinois, Michigan or Ohio may encounter lingering snow covered roads.

Our College Football Playoff forecast also covers two other playoff games Saturday that could be quite cold.

(​9:20 a.m. ET) Almost A Foot Of Snow

Snow totals have now reached 10 to 11 inches in parts of eastern Wisconsin’s Ozaukee and Washington Counties.

Some enhancement from Lake Michigan, as well as stronger bands of snow, lead to the higher totals, there.

Elsewhere, we have 4 to 7 inch totals in southern Lower Michigan, and 1 inch, so far, just northwest of Pittsburgh.

(​9:00 a.m. ET) Snow Falling In Midwest, Interior Northeast

L​ight snow is slowly winding down in Chicagoland, though a lake-effect snowband is taking shape over Lake Michigan that may eventually reach parts of the metro later today.

O​therwise, light snow is falling in Lower Michigan, central Illinois, northern Indiana, western and central Pennsylvania and western and central New York.

Snow has ended in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

You can pull up your own interactive radar here.

(​8:50 a.m. ET) Flight Delays At Some Major Airports

Earlier, Chicago O’Hare reported departure delays averaging about 45 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. But that’s no longer the case as snowfall moves out.

O​therwise, delays due to deicing are occurring at Boston-Logan, Detroit, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City.

C​heck the status of your flight before heading to the airport.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.​