Technically, it's still fall in the U.S., but don't tell that to the Lower 48. According to new observations from NOAA's Snow Analyses, more than 50 percent of the contiguous U.S. was covered with snow this morning. The 50 percent mark is the greatest such snow cover total in the contiguous U.S. this early in the year since NOAA's Snow Analyses started tracking countrywide snow cover in 2003. For comparison's sake, and as the animation above shows, at this time...

More than 5 feet of snow hammered neighborhoods near Buffalo, New York. Cars were stranded on roads and snowdrifts reached well above front doors. (FORECAST: Lake-Effect Snowstorm) The photos are epic, and so are the stories from meteorologists from The Weather Channel who are reporting from the middle of the prolific snow. Storm tracker Jim Cantore has more. MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Photos from the Storm ...

November isn't typically a popular time for a swim in Lake Erie. But this week's epic lake-effect snowstorm churned up waves so inviting, a few brave surfers couldn't resist grabbing their boards and heading into the water. MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Lake-Effect Snow Storm ...

An impressive band of lake-effect snow off Lake Erie hammered parts of western New York Monday into Tuesday, leaving parts of the Buffalo metro area with several feet of snow. (MORE: Forecast | News | Live Cams) While the snow accumulations were impressive, the view of the lake snowband from downtown Buffalo, shown in the above timelapse video, may have been the biggest attention-grabber of all. Snowfall rates were estimated at 4 inches per hour on the south side of...

The Weather Channel has issued its winter forecast for 2014-2015, and it looks a bit different from last winter. Compared to 2013-14, which was one of the coldest winters in recent memory in the Upper Midwest, this winter the chill looks to be more focused on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, according to the winter forecast prepared by WSI, which along with The Weather Channel is part of The Weather Company. The forecast, which looks ahead to temperatures from...

Traveling to visit family and friends could turn into a major hassle across much of the East Coast as Winter Storm Cato is poised to develop, spreading rain and snow across a highly populated and heavily-traveled region of the country on the day before Thanksgiving. (MORE: Thanksgiving Travel Forecast Nationwide) A cold front currently sweeping toward the East Coast is expected to stall just offshore late Tuesday. Low pressure will spin up along the tail end of the front over...

Feet upon feet of lake-effect snow paralyzed parts of western New York late last week. Parts of the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior snowbelts have also been digging out from as much as 30 inches of snow. (MORE: Snow Recap|Latest Impacts|Photos) A temporary change in the weather pattern brought additional concern for stressed roofs and low-lying areas in the snow-weary Great Lakes. Pattern Change The pattern responsible for the relentless, record-breaking cold, not to mention the heavy lake-effect snow,...

Traveling to visit family and friends was a major hassle across much of the East Coast as Winter Storm Cato brought a rainy and snowy wallop to roadways and major airport hubs. As many as 20 million people were under winter storm warnings in the Northeast on the day before Thanksgiving as travelers tried to navigate slushy roads and air travel delays. Motorists saw a slower than normal holiday drive, and air travelers experienced plenty of delays at airports. The...

November 2014 featured frequent bouts of early-season arctic air and snow, setting records in parts of the nation from the Pacific Northwest to Florida and the East Coast. Some of these were new records for the month of November, a November calendar day, a snowstorm, or the earliest in the season it has been so cold or there has been so much snow. Let's recap some of the notable records we saw across the nation during the month, starting with...

Winter storm watches and warnings have been issued for portions of six Northeast states in anticipation of a slow-moving coastal storm expected to develop this week. Given the forecast of heavy snow over sufficient population, we have named this system Winter Storm Damon. (MORE: Science Behind Naming Winter Storms) For the latest on this storm, check out our Winter Storm Damon forecast and storm reports article. MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Snowflake Closeup Photos Medium-size snowflake, around 4 mm, taken in January...

Winter Storm Damon fizzled out over the Northeast after a second pulse of atmospheric energy arrived from the west breathing new life into this extremely slow-moving nor'easter. (MORE: Science Behind Naming Winter Storms) Areas hard-hit by Superstorm Sandy two years ago were among the first to face Damon's fury, as Tuesday morning's high tide brought minor to moderate coastal flooding to the Jersey Shore and parts of Long Island. In some areas, tides reached their highest levels since Sandy, but...

If you are planning to get a jump start on your holiday celebrations by traveling this weekend to avoid the rush of 98.6 million people forecast to travel this holiday season, you may run into some trouble from a storm systems crossing the Southeast and West. Here is our latest forecast thinking day-by-day through the weekend. Saturday's Forecast (Forecast information updates once an hour.) Saturday A few showers or thunderstorms may dot parts of the Southeast and northern Gulf Coast....