The last few days of 2025 are expected to bring all kinds of severe weather, including blizzard conditions, a bomb cyclone, and a “Blue Norther.” Here’s what you need to know:
Winter storm brings several feet of snow to Mammoth Lakes
A winter storm hit California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with Mammoth Lakes reporting 4.5 feet of snow.
More severe weather is expected across the United States as 2025 closes out, with forecasters warning of the possibility of snowstorms and “bomb cyclones” as the new year approaches, potentially making post-holiday travel hazardous.
A winter storm has battered parts of the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, snarling traffic as people head home after the Christmas holidays. On Dec. 27, some New Englanders woke up to 4 to 8 inches of snow. A second storm is heading toward parts of the same region within days, the National Weather Service said.
Meanwhile, a “Blue Noser,” a sudden cold snap in which temperatures plummet by more than 40 degrees in just a few minutes, spread across the south-central Plains on Dec. 28, and a low-pressure system sweeps through the Midwest.
From subzero temperatures in Montana to thunderstorms and snowstorms in the Great Lakes, here’s what we know about the upcoming severe weather.
US weather warnings
The interactive map below shows all weather warnings (warnings, watches, and advisories) currently issued by the National Weather Service. This map updates every 15 minutes.
‘Blue Norther’: Warm weather abruptly ends across central US
The Bureau of Meteorology says the Blue Norther, described by Accuweather as a “strong cold front characterized by a sudden and rapid drop in temperatures,” will move south through the south-central Plains on Dec. 28.
“Due to the speed at which the cold air moves in, temperatures in Montana will drop below freezing by Sunday morning, with northerly winds expected to bring temperatures below -30 degrees,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
A wave of strong thunderstorms signals Blue Norther’s arrival in the South, with temperatures expected to be in the mid 70s to low 80s from Texas to the Tennessee Valley on Dec. 27.
The most famous Blue Noser occurred in 1911. On November 11, much of the Midwest saw temperatures drop by 40 to 50 degrees in minutes, breaking both the highest and lowest temperatures for the day in some places, and was accompanied by severe thunderstorms. After hitting an all-time high of 83 degrees in Oklahoma City, temperatures plummeted to a record low of 17 degrees by midnight.
A potential “bomb cyclone” is occurring.
Another winter storm is expected to move through the Midwest, Great Lakes region and Northeast on Dec. 28-29, bringing snow, ice and freezing rain, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
“The storm will likely rapidly intensify and become a ‘bomb cyclone’ over the Great Lakes from Sunday afternoon into Monday afternoon,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham. “To meet the criteria for a bomb cyclone, the central pressure of the storm must drop by at least 24 millibars over a 24-hour period.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, bomb cyclones occur when a process known as bombogenesis occurs when a cold, dry mass of air meets a warm, moist mass of air, causing rapid development.
A low-pressure system interacting with large amounts of arctic air will bring snow to the northern and central Rocky Mountains and nearby highlands late December 27 and into the 28th, the National Weather Service said. The development of a low pressure system is accelerating from the Midwest to the Great Lakes, and blizzard conditions are expected from the night of December 28th to the morning of the 29th. Blizzard and whiteout conditions are expected, with more than a foot of additional snow expected.
“An all-out blizzard is possible across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin from Sunday night into Monday as the storm passes,” Buckingham said. “The combination of wind gusts in excess of 40 mph and heavy snow could make travel conditions extremely difficult, if not temporarily impossible.”
According to AccuWeather, freezing conditions are expected in parts of Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
Snowstorm forecast: How much snow will it fall?
Are you wondering how much snow is in the forecast? Use USA TODAY’s detailed winter weather forecast map below to find out where snow is expected in the coming hours and days.
California floods, landslides ease as dry weather eases
In a little bit of good news, AccuWeather reported that the atmospheric river that dumped several inches of rain on parts of Southern California over the past few days is expected to weaken by Dec. 27, and the weather will become drier into early next week.
Rain caused evacuations, landslides and power outages during the Christmas holiday. The storm caused multiple deaths. Roads turned into rivers, houses and cars were buried in mud, and daily rainfall decreased significantly. Particularly vulnerable to flooding are areas with burn scars and recent wildfires that absorb less rainfall, including the sites of the Palisades and Eaton fires in January 2025.
These are some of the three-day rainfall totals, according to AccuWeather.
- Topanga Park: 8.15 inches
- Pepperdine: 4.77 inches
- Downtown Los Angeles: 4.11 inches
- Santa Monica: 3.49 inches
- Laguna Beach: 1.62 inches
- San Diego: 1.30 inches
Contributors: Doyle Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver
