First Winter Storm of the Season Brings Heavy Snow and Arctic Blast to Most Homeowners This Week 

The first major snowstorm of the 2025-2026 season has hit the U.S., well before many were prepared. 

Cool winds sweeping over the warm Great Lakes are sparking the season’s first significant round of snow, with what’s called “lake-effect snow” clobbering the Chicago area and Indiana Monday morning. 

Some parts of Northwest Indiana saw more than a foot of snow.

But the winter weather won’t be confined to the Great Lakes region. The National Weather Service served out bulletin after bulletin on Sunday, with an estimated 105 million or more people subject to advisories, watches, and warnings on freezing conditions all throughout the week. 

Homeowners from Chicago to New York and even down to Miami should start to prepare for an arctic blast this week—because winter is coming. 

Weather in November that looks more like December 

According to NBC News, snow will fall from the Great Lakes to New England and northern New York state down to the mountains of eastern North Carolina by Monday and Tuesday. Storm totals of 12 to 18 inches of snow is possible in parts of Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and West Virginia.

While parts of the Northeast will be spared a storm, an arctic chill will settle over most of the country by Tuesday, with many locations observing low temperatures creeping down into the 20s and 30s, and some even lower, according to AccuWeather. 

Even mainland areas of South Florida will drop into the widespread 40s and 50s, while upper 50s to near 60 will be possible for the Florida Keys by Tuesday morning

"This storm pattern will introduce some of the coldest air seen for early November and that is the reason for the robust snow amounts expected in the Great Lakes and the far southern extent of the flurries into the southern Appalachians," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill.

Still, the places that are likely to get snow are seeing some of the earliest flakes in decades.

"Places like Asheville, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina, will see the first flurries of the season,” Merrill added. “If Asheville sees any accumulation of 0.1 of an inch or more Monday night into Tuesday, it would rank as one of the earliest measurable snowfalls on record. The earliest measurable snow in Asheville, North Carolina, is Nov. 2, 1999."

Thankfully, but Tuesday night, conditions will light, and while the chill will stick around, the snow and precipitation will taper off. However, forecasters caution that winter’s early arrival is likely a preview of more cold outbreaks and snow events to come, which aligns with early Thanksgiving forecasts for a cold, wet holiday. 

How to prepare your home for winter

Given the early onslaught of winter conditions, it’s unlikely that many homeowners have thought about winterizing their home as of yet. 

Hopefully, as this storm moves out, there will be time to finalize preparations to keep your home ready for the brunt of winter to come. One of the most important projects you can tackle before it’s too late is protecting your pipes. 

Frozen pipes will not only put your own home of commission, but they are incredibly expensive to fix. 

“Frozen water pipes won't deliver water to the sink, tub, or toilet—and blocked heating pipes will prevent hot air from reaching radiators that are past the part that's frozen,” says Mary Redler, vice president of Polo Plumbing & Heating in Lindenhurst, NY.

“To avoid frozen pipes, protect outdoor plumbing fixtures by disconnecting any hoses, shutting off the water to external sources, and insulating or covering all faucets,” says Brenda Bynarowicz, senior vice president of marketing at SimpliSafe.

If you’re confident your pipes are safe, your next priority should be the roof. 

Before the storm hits your town, experts recommend that homeowners inspect their roof (safely from the ground) and look for missing shingles, degradation, and curling, which can all leave your home vulnerable to leaks.

Gutters and downspouts should be regularly cleaned, but it's critical to make sure they're free of debris before winter sets in, and with the colder weather settling in while leaves are still on the trees, it’s a good idea to be extra vigilant. 

“Clogged gutters prevent ice and melted snow from leaving the surface of the roof. If gutters have leaves and debris inside, meltwater can build up in the gutter trough and turn into ice," says Mallory Micetich, a home expert at Angi.