East Coast Placed on "Blizzard Watch" for Upcoming Winter

The 2025-26 ski season snowfall predictions are rolling out, and one YouTube forecaster, Direct Weather, thinks the Northeast should anticipate frigid and stormy weather, placing the region under a “Blizzard Watch.”

Each year, Direct Weather releases long-range winter forecasts that break down the U.S. into sectors with expected weather outcomes—much like the Old Farmer’s Almanac and the Farmers’ Almanac.

Direct Weather’s current forecast hints at future powder days in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Long-range forecasting, of course, is an inexact science, but if you’re a Northeast skier, why would you question good news?

Tap or click below to watch Direct Weather’s full 2025-26 Winter Forecast. Keep reading for a comparison of his forecast to other long-range predictions.

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How Does Direct Weather’s Winter 25/26 Compare?

The Climate Prediction Center offers a point of reference with its seasonal outlooks. 

These outlooks are, notably, far less precise than the winter weather forecasts you might see from Direct Weather or the Old Farmer’s Almanac. They show the probability of departures from the average. 

For instance, a shaded orange portion of the map might indicate that, throughout February, there’s a 33% to 40% chance that temperatures are warmer than average. Notably, this doesn’t spell out how much warmer those temperatures could be above average.

Why are these outlooks so broad? 

“Weather forecasters can say the temperature tomorrow will be, say, 74°F, and they’ll be in the ballpark,” reads a quick and dirty explanation from climate.gov. “To put it mildly, it is not especially realistic to make the same sort of forecast for a particular day 30 days from now.”

In short, no one, not even the best forecaster in the world, can tell you exactly how much it’s going to snow in January 2026. 

With that disclaimer out of the way, these are the trends the Climate Prediction Center is anticipating in December, January, and February across the U.S.

In this outlook, the Northeast is leaning towards warmer-than-average temperatures during the heart of winter. Precipitation, however, is a question mark. White portions of the Climate Prediction Center’s maps indicate equal chances of any given outcome.

In summary, Winter 25/26 predictions are a bit of a tossup, but we can admit that they’re fun to look at. Stay tuned in here at POWDER for more predictions and forecasts throughout the Fall.

Related: New Snow Forecast Could Be Bad News for California Skiers—La Niña To Blame?