Storms, Snow and Swell to Collide on US East Coast

A massive cold front is due to cover much of the United States this weekend, bringing freezing temperatures, heavy snows and disrupting travel across the country. From Texas to Maine, more than 160 million people are under various winter weather advisories for the next several days. And yet, amid the flurry, there may be surfable windswell for the winter diehards. 

The storm track is expected to move from the Southern Plains on Friday and progress eastward through the Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast through Monday. The East Coast will get cold, but it won’t be as bad as the northernmost states (wind chill goes below -50F in Montara and North Dakota). 

Over 160 million Americans are under winter hazards associated with the impending major winter storm. Disruptive snowfall is likely from the Southern Rockies to the Northeast, including dangerous ice from the ArkLaTex to the southern Mid-Atlantic. Here are the latest Key Messages pic.twitter.com/bmVIT5to7a

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 22, 2026

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for New York City, Long Island, the northern suburbs, as well as parts of northeast New Jersey and southern Connecticut, starting at 3 a.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday. While the warning is in place, residents are advised to avoid traveling on the roads. The snowfall could be substantial: Forecasters expect between 10 and 14 inches of snow in northeast New Jersey and southeast New York from Sunday to Monday.

On top of that, there’s a high chance of “additional sleet accumulation and a glaze of ice before a change back over to light snow later Sunday night. Isolated wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph are possible for eastern Long Island,” according to the National Weather Service. Across the board on the East Coast, expect temperatures to be around the mid-to-low 20s through Monday, and with wind chill, it could be near or below single digits. Get your warmest coat/suit/gloves out and keep 'em on. 

Believe it or not, at the same time this Arctic blast moves in, there’s a low-pressure system in the Atlantic pushing in east-southeast windswell. It won't be huge, but if you have the tolerance for brutal offshore wind and mind-and-body-numbing water (where you at, Rob Kelly?), there could be good windows from New England to the Outer Banks. Check your local forecaster for more specifics as the swell and winds develop.