A snowstorm is likely to cause major travel delays on roads and at airports on Christmas Eve, Daily Herald reported via AccuWeather.

AccuWeather said the storm will have heavy snow, torrential rain, thunderstorms and fog.

Starting Tuesday, the storm will start with patchy rain and fog and will pick up at a heavy rate on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Day, major winds and snow fall will continue in the Upper Midwest and central Appalachians.

"Areas and episodes of fog can be a problem for travelers in the Midwest and Northeast spanning Tuesday into Wednesday night," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams said in a statement.

The fog would more than likely cause flight delays.

After all, winter will begin on Dec. 21 making it colder and darker for everyone in the northern part of the U.S.

Michael Schlacter, a meteorologist with Weather 2000 Inc. in New York, said, "Obviously with daylight pretty much absent in the northern latitudes, the days are getting very short and that is the nursery for our polar and arctic air masses."

Snow on the ground could also influence temperature. If the year has a longer winter, people would have to look forward to cold periods with warmer periods in between.

"You don't want every week to be freezing cold if you want to have a long winter," Schlacter said. "You have to recharge that Canadian freezer."

Yet, El Nino has the ability to change storm patterns across North America. Then, the Arctic Oscillation can determine if the coldest air would remain at the North Pole or if it would travel down to the U.S.

Schlacter predicts that the U.S. will get very cold soon because the North Atlantic Oscillation is likely to shift negative by next week.

Although New York is set to reach 55 degrees on Christmas Eve, temperatures will continue to drop as winter proceeds.