An upcoming winter weather system that has the potential to deliver widespread snowfall throughout much of the Eastern United States is closely being monitored. This includes regions such as the Tennessee River Valley, the Carolinas, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.

Given the intricate nature of this weather event, which is projected to get underway Wednesday evening and persist into Friday, the precise path and placement of the storm system will be crucial in seeing which locations experience snow and the severity of any effects.

Weather patterns across the East are growing more dynamic, with the risk of a significant winter storm rising toward the middle of the week. This approaching system is expected to arrive quite differently compared to recent ones.

The FOX Forecast Center indicates that the disturbance will stem from a strong clipper system, instead of the more typical long-track storms that cross the entire country.

As this clipper progresses across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast from late Tuesday through Wednesday, it will push a robust cold front down toward the Southeast. (RELATED: Disaster Declarations Issued In Alaska As Incoming Atmospheric River Could Cause Flooding, Avalanches)

The cold front is anticipated to become stationary, and in advance of it, a more structured zone of low pressure should emerge over the Appalachian Mountains and sections of the Southeast.

Thanks to an advantageous alignment with a pronounced dip in the jet stream, this low-pressure area is poised to intensify quickly.

As the system gains strength, it will pull colder air masses farther south while drawing in surrounding moisture. This combination is likely to trigger the onset of snow initially in the Tennessee River Valley and the southern Appalachians, with the precipitation then spreading to the north.

The FOX Forecast Center describes this as a hybrid-type storm, lacking a single dominant surface low-pressure center in its early stages, which makes traditional tracking challenging.

WINTER STORM THREAT: A complex storm system is brewing Wednesday night through Friday, potentially bringing snow across the East. The exact track and position of the system will be critical in determining who sees snow and how significant the impacts may be. pic.twitter.com/16N0fmxepw

— FOX Weather (@foxweather) January 11, 2026

Experts note that the cold front tied to the original clipper will remain a dominant influence during the entire lifecycle of the event, serving as the primary feature that guides and structures the wintry precipitation.

As the front continues its eastward push, its associated moisture and chilly air mass could extend snowfall coverage into the Mid-Atlantic and New England by Thursday.

As the day continues, the overall pattern will start to shift. (RELATED: Millions In South Threatened By Severe Weather Setup That Could Trigger Tornadoes, Flash Flooding)

The initial cold front is expected to lose intensity as the newly formed low-pressure system becomes the main driver. Meanwhile, even colder air may surge eastward and become more effectively incorporated into the storm.

The details of this transition will play a major role in determining how much snow falls in areas closer to the coastline, particularly along the busy Interstate 95 corridor.

Due to the storm’s highly complicated development, several important uncertainties persist, according to the FOX Forecast Center:

The speed at which sufficiently cold air arrives in the Northeast before the low-pressure center moves in

The availability of enough atmospheric moisture to produce broad areas of snow

The overall forward speed of the low and how near it passes to the coastline

These elements will require more time to become clearer, though the FOX Forecast Center highlights a realistic possibility for a more substantial snow event to form in proximity to or directly along the I-95 corridor from late Thursday into Friday.

Forecasters express greater confidence in the southern portions of the affected area, especially throughout the Appalachians. The setup there is well-suited for cold air interacting with upslope terrain, which could result in notably heavy snow accumulations in those zones.

The intricate progression of this system complicates efforts to forecast precise snowfall totals from the Southeast all the way to the Northeast. In particular across the Northeast, outcomes could vary dramatically — from minimal or no snow accumulation to significant, plowable amounts.