Major winter storm is set to bring heavy snow and ice to millions across the U.S.

The first significant winter storm of the season for much of the country will bring heavy snow and ice to millions of people from Nebraska to the nation’s capital over the weekend into Monday.

More than six inches of snow could fall in a corridor from northern Kansas to West Virginia and could cause dangerous road conditions in some spots. As of early Friday, winter storm warnings, watches and advisories covered hundreds of counties. The affected stretch includes southeastern Nebraska, southern Iowa, northern Missouri, south-central Illinois, south-central Indiana, southern Ohio, northern Kentucky, southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Up to six inches or more of snow could also fall in parts of Northern Virginia; Maryland, Washington, D.C.; Delaware; and southern New Jersey. How much falls in the region depends on the storm track and whether the snow mixes with sleet and freezing rain.

The storm system will also bring icy conditions from Nebraska to Virginia as well as to areas of western North Carolina still recovering from Hurricane Helene, leading to slippery roads and the potential for downed trees and power outages.

On the southern flank of the storm, a squall line - an organized line of thunderstorms - will roar through Arkansas, western Tennessee, eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, with a risk of damaging winds and tornadoes late Sunday.

It comes as the first of several Arctic blasts arrive in the country. The frigid air to the north will clash with warmer, more humid air to the south, forming the storm. For millions of people across the country, it will be the first winter storm of the season.

When, where and how much snow will fall

More than a dozen states could receive 6 to 12 inches of snow from the storm by the time it ends late Monday.

Accumulations could even exceed a foot in some locations in northeastern Kansas, northern Missouri, south-central Illinois, south-central Indiana, southern Ohio, northern Kentucky, northern West Virginia and far western Maryland - where cold air and moisture will feed a narrow corridor of the heaviest snow.

Snow will develop in South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas on Saturday before spreading into Iowa, Missouri and Illinois on Saturday night. With temperatures in the single digits, teens and 20s, snow will have no trouble sticking to roads and will be of a dry, fluffy consistency.

Cities such as Lincoln, Nebraska; Topeka, Kansas; Kansas City; St. Louis; Springfield, Illinois; and Indianapolis are all forecast to see a significant accumulation.

Blustery winds will also cause some blowing and snow drifts, as well as poor visibility, leading to treacherous travel conditions.

On Sunday, the snow will move into Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and western Virginia before reaching Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the rest of the Mid-Atlantic states on Sunday night.

Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh; and Morgantown, West Virginia, are among the cities forecast to receive significant snowfall.

By Monday morning, the storm will be nearing the East Coast, with light snow possibly extending as far north as southern New York.

Up to six inches or more of snow are forecast in southern Pennsylvania; southern New Jersey; northern Maryland; Delaware; Washington, D.C.; and Northern Virginia. Totals six inches or more are possible if the snow doesn’t mix with ice. This important dividing line - where the snow could turn into a wintry mix - could end up very close to the nation’s capital.

The exact track was uncertain because the storm’s atmospheric ingredients were still over the waters of the North Pacific Ocean as of early Friday.

A high-altitude disturbance was working through the northeast Pacific on Friday evening. It was expected to move over land on Friday night. When that happens, meteorologists will be able to launch weather balloons into the air beneath it and sample the ingredients. With more information about the disturbance, computer models will probably begin to get a better handle on forecasting the storm.

The upper-air disturbance will generate a surface storm over Kansas on Saturday night. That nascent low pressure system will begin scooping moisture northward from the Gulf of Mexico. That’s why rain, ice and snow will all be plentiful. The tricky part is determining what areas will see which exact winter impacts.

With many people due to return to work and school after the holidays, the storm may extend winter break for at least one more day, as poor road conditions will probably cause cancellations. Flight delays and cancellations are also likely, so travelers should check before venturing out into the storm.

Where ice will bring dangerous conditions

The storm will also come with heavy sleet and freezing rain, which will create very slippery road and sidewalk conditions from Nebraska to Virginia and western North Carolina.

In Nebraska, central Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana and Kentucky, heavy amounts of ice will be coupled with particularly gusty winds - enough that widespread power issues are possible and could last several days. The worst of the icing will occur late Saturday through Sunday night.

Places forecast to receive significant amounts of ice include Topeka, areas south of Interstate 70 between Kansas City and St. Louis; Carbondale, Illinois; Evansville, Indiana; Lexington, Kentucky; and Charleston, West Virginia.

Most of central and eastern Kansas, perhaps including Kansas City, will begin seeing some freezing rain Saturday evening. To the north, sleet and eventually snow will fall.

Precipitation will expand east across Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana and Kentucky during the predawn hours Sunday, with mixed precipitation south of an all-snow zone. Southern Ohio will see precipitation Sunday evening, and areas east of the Appalachians will be under the winter storm by Monday.

Ice will also extend into southern Ohio, West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina later Sunday through Monday.

It’s still a bit too early to pinpoint which type of precipitation will predominate for areas near the snow/sleet/freezing rain line. There is some evidence to support the Ozarks of southeast Missouri and the Ohio River corridor as more likely to wind up with big ice totals.

The sleet and freezing rain line could reach Washington, D.C., which is leading to uncertainty in the forecast. If the ice reaches the city, total snowfall is expected to range from three to six inches; if it doesn’t, accumulation of more than six inches is possible.

When it will end

The worst of the weather is expected to end by Monday night when the storm moves off the East Coast.

In the storm’s wake, an Arctic air mass will flow in, bringing temperatures in the single digits and teens to the East Coast on Tuesday morning, with widespread single-digit and subzero temperatures in the Plains and Midwest, coldest in areas that have a deep snow pack.

Black ice will be a concern on Tuesday morning, as well as for the rest of next week as freezing temperatures continue.

The next storm chance will come late next week, when a system could develop in the Deep South. Because of the very cold air in place, wintry precipitation has the potential to fall unusually far south. Areas from Texas to the Carolinas should keep an eye on the situation as details become clearer in the days ahead.

A lack of snow so far this season

Snowfall has been well below average across most of the country so far this season. It ranks as the second-least snowy in the past 17 years, since national snowfall records began.

Nationwide snowfall has been just 54% of average. Low snowfall was forecast this season because of a range of factors influencing the climate, such as warm seas.

[Anchorage’s low-snow December makes for idle plows and happy skaters]

The weekend storm will bring snow to states that have seen very little so far this season, and the nationwide deficit will rebound - but only slightly.

Several more storms will be needed to reverse the growing snowfall decline, but January’s Arctic outbreak may coincide with more dry, rather than snowy, weather.