Updated Dec. 27, 2019 3:24 PM
A major winter storm will take aim at the nation's midsection this weekend and into early next week, bringing whiteout conditions and up to two feet of snow over portions of the Plains and Upper Midwest.
The same storm system first brought travel to a standstill in Southern California on Wednesday night.
As the storm system begins to turn northeastward by Friday afternoon, a wintry mixture of ice, sleet and snow will develop across portions of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. Farther southeast, drought-busting rain and locally gusty thunderstorms will target the southern Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley.
As colder air filters southward from Canada, snow will begin to spread across the Plains Friday night. Portions of interstates 76, 80 and 90 in Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota will likely experience accumulating snowfall overnight Friday.
The storm system will continue to intensify as it expands northward into the Midwest by Saturday. A steady snow and increasingly gusty winds will be felt for places like North Platte, Nebraska, and Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Blizzard conditions could be in store for portions of Nebraska thanks to a cold northerly wind that may strengthen the system. The eastern Dakotas and extreme western Minnesota may also be impacted.
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 a quarter of a mile for at least three hours.
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The storm system will continue to bring heavy snow and gusty winds, leading to whiteout conditions across the Plains and northern Midwest on Sunday. These conditions could be realized in places like Fargo, North Dakota, for much of the day.
Meanwhile, on the warmer side of the storm, much of the western Great Lakes can expect rain rather than snow on Sunday. In portions of Wisconsin and northern Michigan where there is still snow on the ground, this storm system could bring the threat for some stream and river flooding.
The storm system will gradually shift over the western Great Lakes by Monday. As it does so, colder air will filter in, allowing the rain to transition over to snow. The steadiest snow will begin to taper off across the Plains on Monday, leaving double-digit snowfall totals in its wake.
Along with the threat for rain and heavy snow across the Midwest, there will likely be a corridor across the center of the country where the storm system will produce an icy mix this weekend. Portions of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan will face this threat. While snowfall totals are expected to be lower across this corridor, the effects of accumulating ice can be just as bad.
While the bulk of the wintery weather will begin to wind down in the Central states on Monday, it is possible some lingering snow showers hang on across the Midwest into Tuesday as the storm system finally begins to exit the region.
The storm's next target will be the Northeast, where rain, ice and snow will break the string of calm weather days.
As the storm exits, it is possible that lake-effect snow picks up downwind of lakes Superior and Michigan into the middle of next week.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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