La Niña Winter Fueling First Snow Of Season, Possible Ice Risk For Mid-Atlantic, Carolinas

Later this week, the season’s coldest Arctic air will plunge into the Mid-Atlantic and Carolinas, getting bottled up east of the Appalachians. As a storm system lifts out of the Southeast and tracks up the East Coast, that trapped frigid air could set the stage for a significant icing risk for drivers.

Along the I-95 corridor, millions of drivers in Virginia and North Carolina could face ice accumulation by midday Friday, possibly turning the evening commute into a dramatically different, and far more dangerous, experience than the morning drive, according to the FOX Forecast Center. (RELATED: Cincinnati Doubles Previous Snowfall Record)

Western Virginia, as well as western North Carolina’s mountains — regions still in recovery mode from the catastrophic damage inflicted in 2024 by Hurricane Helene — also have the potential to experience accumulations of ice Friday.

A broader swath from Virginia to Massachusetts, including the major metro areas of New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C., can expect an inch of snow from Friday into Saturday.

❄️STAY FROSTY: An ice threat could impact drivers in Virginia and the Carolinas Friday, making for a radically different commute home for millions. A broader area in the mid-Atlantic could see its first snowflakes of the season. Details: https://t.co/G02eBNrsDN pic.twitter.com/oUTBVOkNhJ

— FOX Weather (@foxweather) December 3, 2025

Cities such as Roanoke, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, currently have the best shot at snowfall, which would be their first of the season, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

The region’s forecast remains in flux, with considerable uncertainty still surrounding the exact amounts of snow and ice accumulation.

The system aligns with NOAA’s long-range outlook issued in November, which predicted an active beginning to meteorological winter, driven in large part by the ongoing climate pattern known as La Niña.