The Eight American Cities Facing 12 Inches Of Snow

As of January 24, 2026 (as of 11:35 AM EST), a massive winter storm is cruising across the US spreading cold, freezing rain, and snow to an area from Oklahoma City and Dallas to Detroit and Buffalo, and as far up the Atlantic Coast as Boston. This area is home to about 200 million Americans.  Blizzard conditions (Officially, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a storm which contains large amounts of snow OR blowing snow, with winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period of time (at least 3 hours). These conditions are not widespread everywhere, but about a foot of snow is forecast in parts of the storm’s path, particularly in the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and the Atlantic Coast from Washington to Maine. 

Forecasts from NOAA/NWS, The New York Times, Washington Post, and CBS News, indicate areas could see 12–18 inches or more in the core snow band, though totals vary by location. Exact amounts accumulated from Sunday/Monday can’t be made with the current generation of forecast models, , but the following major cities (population over 100,000) are in zones with forecasts of over 12+ inches of snow accumulation in these models. Population data is from the Census. 

The National Weather Service says “A significant, long-duration winter storm will bring widespread heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies to New England through Monday. Widespread travel disruptions, prolonged power outages, and vast tree damage is likely.”

It is widely acknowledged that the US does not have state of the art forecasting methods, The Washington Post reported “Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the rollout of AI-driven weather models as its head, Neil Jacobs, acknowledged that the country has fallen behind European counterparts and, in some cases, tech companies in forecasting accuracy.”

Much more sophisticated AI based models have been released recently. Google’s is known as WeatherNext 2. It will be widely available across Google’s software applications. “This means we can now share more accurate weather results through Search, Gemini, Pixel Weather and Google Maps Platform’s Weather API.”

AI chip giant Nvidia has also released a set of tools. Microsoft’s AI weather tools are called Vibrant Planet and Aurora. The BBC reported on the advantages of this new age of forecasting. “Traditional models take hours to run on hugely expensive supercomputers, however this new breed of models can take less than a minute to run on a standard laptop.”

The storm is expected to end mid-Monday as it passes north of Boston. In the meantime, the financial effects will be significant. At least 3,000 airline flights will be canceled. Experts expect business interruption. Many cities will blow through their snow removal budgets quickly. 

Chicago, IL

According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, the population estimate for Chicago, as of July 1, 2024, is 2,721,308 residents.

Indianapolis, IN

The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates place the population of Indianapolis at 887,642 as of July 1, 2024.

Columbus, OH

Per the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent annual estimate, Columbus, had a population of 917,679 on July 1, 2024.

Cleveland, OH

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Cleveland had an estimated population of 361,607 as of July 1, 2024.

Pittsburgh, PA

According to the latest available U.S. Census Bureau estimate, Pittsburgh, had a population of 303,255 on July 1, 2024.

Buffalo, NY

The U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent data shows Buffalo, with a population estimate of 276,397 as of July 1, 2024.

Rochester, NY

Rochester, is estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to have had 210,992 residents as of July 1, 2024.

Syracuse, NY

The most recent U.S. Census Bureau population estimate for Syracuse, is 144,782 as of July 1, 2024.