Powerful nor'easter to 'bomb' out with heavy snow, Winter Storm Alerts issued from South Carolina to Virginia

Nor'easter takes purpose astatine East Coast

Six states are nether Winter Storm Watches arsenic a almighty nor'easter has its sights acceptable connected the East Coast, with the imaginable to 'bomb' out. The Carolinas and Virginia are falling successful the bullseye with high-impact snowfall apt for the areas. The strategy could besides bring winds up to 70 mph and unsafe coastal flooding for the Outerbanks.

A almighty nor'easter is apt to ‘bomb’ retired and slam the Carolinas conscionable days aft a monolithic wintertime tempest carved a 2,300-mile way done the United States and brought life-threatening crystal and dense snowfall to respective areas.

Areas successful the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are inactive moving to excavation retired aft receiving important snowfall implicit the weekend. At slightest 65 deaths person already been reported crossed 16 states.

The FOX Forecast Center is forecasting a almighty nor'easter to make disconnected the East Coast this weekend, which has the imaginable to make into a weaponry cyclone. It is astir definite that a almighty wintertime tempest volition present interaction the Carolinas and Virginia. But from there, uncertainty remains regarding wherever the tempest tracks.

ARCTIC PLUNGE: POLAR VORTEX LOCKS IN SNOW, ICE AND LIFE-THREATENING COLD BEHIND HISTORIC CROSS-COUNTRY STORM

Winter Storm Warning person already been issued for each of North Carolina, overmuch of South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia.

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has issued a State of Emergency successful mentation for this weekend's snowstorm. He said the State Emergency Response Team is being activated to assistance affected communities with immoderate effect needs.

"As different circular of wintertime upwind moves into North Carolina, this clip perchance bringing snow, I impulse everyone to enactment alert and instrumentality precautions," Stein said successful a statement.

Building the storm

A ample reservoir of acold aerial associated with the Polar Vortex volition surge southbound retired of Canada this week and dispersed crossed the Great Lakes, yet making its mode into the Southeast. 

As this unfolds, the system's vigor volition plaything done the Southeast and offshore on the East Coast this weekend. This allows precise acold aerial to found itself crossed the Mid-Atlantic and the Carolinas.

NOR'EASTER: WHAT CAUSES THESE POWERFUL STORM SYSTEMS?

At the surface, a rapidly processing low-pressure strategy volition signifier conscionable disconnected the Southeast seashore on a crisp somesthesia gradient implicit the lukewarm waters of the Gulf Stream. As the debased strengthens passim Saturday, it volition propulsion moisture northward portion helping to fastener acold aerial successful spot inland, favoring a agelong model for heightened wintertime impacts.

‘Bombing' out

A notable facet of this tempest is the beardown imaginable for accelerated intensification, oregon ‘bombing’ out.

WHAT IS BOMBOGENESIS?

Bombogenesis occurs erstwhile a storm's cardinal unit drops astatine slightest 24 millibars implicit a 24-hour window, and existent projections suggest this strategy could deepen from astir 1,005 millibars to adjacent 967 millibars betwixt precocious Saturday and midday Sunday. 

That level of accelerated strengthening would make an highly choky unit gradient and effect successful almighty winds and unsafe conditions on the contiguous coastline, peculiarly crossed the Outer Banks.

Impacts for the Carolinas, Virginia

Snow volition statesman during the Friday evening hours.

The strategy volition archetypal make a spot farther westbound crossed the Tennessee Valley and the Appalachians. Impacts connected Friday should stay minimal overall, but airy snowfall is imaginable successful places specified arsenic Nashville, Gatlinburg and yet parts of Virginia.

WHAT IS THE JET STREAM?

This signifier is much of a lead-in to the main event, alternatively than the halfway of the storm.

Come Saturday morning, the communicative volition rapidly change. A coastal debased volition beryllium successful the aboriginal stages of development, and snowfall volition rapidly agelong crossed the higher terrain of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and bluish Georgia.

Saturday appears to beryllium the time erstwhile the bulk of the snowfall volition hap for the region.

As the time goes on, the coastal debased volition fortify and propulsion colder aerial southward portion wrapping successful expanding amounts of moisture. Snow strength is expected to ramp up, particularly successful interior cities similar Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte and Columbia, South Carolina.

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 25: Crews enactment to support Main Street wide arsenic sleet falls January 25, 2026 successful Greenville, South Carolina. A monolithic wintertime tempest is bringing frigid temperatures, ice, and snowfall to millions of Americans crossed the nation.  (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Snowfall rates could go rather precocious with businesslike snowfall ratios, and this looks to beryllium an all-day lawsuit with precise fewer breaks. At this point, a blimpish 8–12 inches of snowfall is connected the table, with a bullseye favored for North Carolina, but that full whitethorn beryllium understated. 

If everything comes together, this strategy could easy fertile arsenic a top-five snowfall lawsuit for cities similar Raleigh.

Snow blankets Roanoke, Virginia connected Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

(Jeremy from Roanoke, VA / FOX Weather)

Another blimpish stake is wide 5–8 inches of snowfall for confederate Virginia, the bulk of North Carolina and cardinal South Carolina.

While the snowfall volition drawback astir of the attention, immoderate of the astir superior impacts volition hap on the coast. There is increasing interest that the operation of 60–70 mph onshore upwind gusts, precocious surf and important formation erosion could pb to scenes reminiscent of impacts seen during the caller hurricane season. This includes the imaginable for the nonaccomplishment of further homes.

This strategy is expected to way precise adjacent to the coastline, which allows for adjacent hurricane-force gusts successful immoderate coastal locations.

Snow is apt to scope crossed areas similar Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, Charleston and the Outer Banks. 

If the timing of the heaviest snowfall overlaps with the strongest winds, blizzard conditions cannot beryllium ruled out, particularly on the North Carolina coast.  Snow totals volition taper person to the shoreline, but 3-5 inches by Sunday greeting seems possible.

Boost from the Snow Moon

This tempest coincides with a afloat moon, besides known arsenic the Snow Moon, which adds different furniture to the threat. 

Strong winds are expected to align intimately with Sunday morning's precocious tide astir 7-8am ET. This raises the hazard of coastal flooding from tempest surge-like h2o rise. Projections suggest a imaginable 3–4 ft emergence on susceptible stretches of the coastline. Combined with blowing snowfall and imaginable whiteout conditions, the scenes on the seashore connected Sunday could beryllium striking and perchance severe.

Northeast impacts

Farther north, the FOX Forecast Center is keeping an oculus connected imaginable impacts from the Nor'easter connected Sunday. Most models hold that the tempest volition beryllium nearby, but determination is beardown disagreement connected the nonstop track. At this point, a implicit miss seems to beryllium the slightest apt outcome, and immoderate level of interaction is probable.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER 

This strategy is drafting attraction due to the fact that respective exemplary solutions picture a high-impact snowstorm conscionable days aft the historical cross-country system. In immoderate scenarios, mean to dense snowfall is possible, peculiarly from eastbound Massachusetts into Maine. Other possibilities support the bulk of the snowfall offshore with small accumulation inland. 

A snowfall plow works to wide the runways astatine Logan Airpot successful Boston, Massachusetts, connected January 25, 2026. A monolithic wintertime tempest connected January 24 dumped snowfall and freezing rainfall from New Mexico to North Carolina arsenic it swept crossed the United States towards the northeast, threatening tens of millions of Americans with blackouts, proscription chaos and bone-chilling cold. After battering the country's southwest and cardinal areas, the tempest strategy began to deed the heavy populated mid-Atlantic and northeastern states arsenic a frigid aerial wide settled successful crossed the nation. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Currently, the highest assurance for meaningful impacts is crossed southeastern Massachusetts, particularly Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Even with a somewhat offshore track, this country could inactive spot snow, beardown winds and hazardous marine conditions.

For Massachusetts and Rhode Island, snowfall volition not beryllium the lone interest if the tempest tracks person to the coast. A stronger strategy could nutrient almighty winds on the contiguous coastline and implicit the waters. Wind gusts could transcend 60 mph crossed the Cape and Islands, with higher gusts possible. If the beardown winds enactment up with precocious tide, coastal flooding and formation erosion would go a concern. 

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 25: A taxi operator clears snowfall disconnected his cab portion stopped astatine a postulation airy connected Fifth Avenue during a snowstorm connected January 25, 2026, successful New York City.

(Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Confidence drops rapidly farther west, underscoring however delicate this forecast is to tiny shifts. 

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Cities on the Interstate 95 corridor are connected the utmost occidental fringe of the imaginable impacts. For places similar New York City, a quality of 50-100 miles successful the tempest way could mean the quality betwixt insignificant and much notable impacts. Currently, the I-95 corridor, from Washington, D.C. to New York City, is not expected to spot a blockbuster snowstorm, but immoderate impacts stay imaginable from gusty winds and periods of airy snow.

This is simply a processing story. Stick with FOX Weather for each the latest forecasts and updates.