November is getting closer, and winter weather fans are already wondering where the first meaningful snow could show up. While much of the country may avoid any major cold outbreaks during the first part of the month, a few areas could see snow as a storm moves across the western United States. As temperatures begin to dip in parts of the country, there’s a little more to watch as the month gets underway.
According to Dan Pydynowski, supervisor and senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, the first week of November doesn’t look especially cold overall across the country. That doesn’t mean snow is completely off the table, though.
A Handful of Areas Could See Significant Snow in Early November
Some mountain areas in the West could see accumulating snowfall, Pydynowski notes, while colder air may begin moving into parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes later in the week. The best chance for early November snow appears to be in the mountains of the West. A storm is expected to move through Southern California and the Southwest, including the Four Corners region, on Sunday, Nov. 1, and Monday, Nov. 2.
As that system moves through, it could bring snow to parts of the southern and central Rocky Mountains, along with Utah’s Wasatch Range. These higher elevations look to be the main areas to watch for snowfall from this storm.
For anyone hoping to see winter weather arrive early, the mountains could offer the best chance. However, the current outlook suggests any snow will generally stay confined to the western mountain regions rather than spreading across large portions of the country.
That means widespread snowfall doesn’t appear to be the main story during the opening days of November. Instead, the focus is on the higher elevations that are more likely to see snow as the storm passes through.
Colder Air Could Reach Other Areas of the Country Before Too Long
Farther east, the weather pattern could begin to change later in the first week of November. While widespread extreme cold isn’t expected during this period, parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes could turn colder beginning around Thursday, Nov. 5. That could be worth watching as November progresses, although the current information doesn’t point to a specific snow threat for those areas.
On a separate note, there’s also one seasonal change coming up that won’t affect the weather at all. When clocks fall back from daylight saving time to standard time, sunset arrives an hour earlier, but sunrise does, too. The total amount of daylight remains the same, meaning the time change itself doesn’t alter the amount of solar energy reaching the ground, Pydynowski explains.
For now, the mountains of the West look like the main areas to watch for early November snow, while parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes could get a taste of colder weather later in the week.
The winter solstice falls on Monday, Dec. 21, 2026, at 3:50 p.m. EST, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Meteorologists, however, including the National Weather Service, use December, January and February as the winter season because sticking to the same three months makes it easier to compare weather patterns from year to year. Depending on the calendar, meteorological winter lasts 91 or 92 days.
