The winter season will be shorter and milder winters in the Central Appalachians, with less precipitation falling as snow and reduced snow cover and depth.

In general, warming temperatures may lead to a decrease in the overall frequency of ice storms and snowstorms due to a reduction in the number of days that are cold enough for those events to occur. However, there is research to suggest that snowfall in lake-effect areas may increase over the short term if the necessary conditions are present: reduced ice cover on the Great Lakes must result in increased evaporation from the open water, and winter temperatures must remain cold enough for the movement of increased moisture over the land surface to generate snow.