New Yorkers brace for biggest snow storm in years, up to 10 inches

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Dec 26, 2025

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NEW YORK — Christmas festivities are winding down while New Yorkers are gearing up for a major snow storm.

The fast-moving storm is poised to bring snow and ice to huge swaths of Northeast this weekend, with more than 23 million people under winter storm warnings, including New York City, which could see its most significant snowfall since 2022.

And it’s set to make post-holiday travel this weekend tricky for most.

As of Friday afternoon, more than 1,000 flights were canceled, with New York City’s three airports — John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty International — and Philadelphia International hit the hardest. So far, JFK has seen 146 while Newark has suffered 98. LaGuardia International Airport followed with 84 cancellations, and across all three airports, nearly 300 flights have been delayed.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey earlier this week said that it was anticipating nearly 15 million travelers to pass through the area airports along with its bridges and tunnels for the holiday season.

The city should start seeing its first flakes on Friday evening around 5 p.m., with temperatures slated to stay the low 20s, the National Weather Service said.

The snow is supposed to start off light and airy, falling at about an inch an hour before becoming more dense and wet as the storm pushes through the area. The snowfall is forecast to be its most intense overnight, around 2 or 3 a.m. on Saturday, at which point flakes are expected to fall at a rate of 2 inches an hour. The snow will continue into Saturday morning before tapering off around noon. In total, the forecast suggests between 5 and 9 inches will fall, the NWS said, noting that some spots could see “10 inches where the heaviest bands set up.”

If the city does in fact see more than 4 inches of snow, it will be the most significant accumulation since January 2022, when more than 8 inches fell in Central Park. Snow has been light in the years since. Last year, just more than a foot of snow accumulated throughout the entire season, topping 2023’s total, which measured just about 8 inches. The snowfall in the year prior was even less, with totals barely topping 2 inches.

The current record was set in 2016, when 27.5 inches of snow buried the city.

Five to 8 inches of snow is also in the forecast for northern New Jersey, while Hartford, Conn., could get about 4 inches.

The upcoming winter weather will result in “hazardous travel” and “snow-covered roads” in a addition to “reduced visibilities due to falling snow.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that New Yorkers traveling on Friday “may wish to rearrange” their plans, and Mayor Eric Adams asked city residents to avoid driving if possible.

“If you have to travel, plan ahead, take it slow, and leave plenty of time to get to where you need to go safely,” Hochul said.

A winter storm watch is in effect for much of the tri-state area, including New York City, beginning 4 p.m. Friday and continuing through 1 p.m. Saturday. New York City Emergency Management has also issued a travel advisory for the same timeframe