Winds are expected to reach 65 and 75 mph across the plains, combining with snow to create blizzard conditions for nearly 2 million people in the Upper Midwest.
“The strong winds will start more seasonal conditions, with temperatures generally between 30 and 40 degrees on Thursday,” said meteorologist Taylor Ward of CNN.
As the storm approaches the Midwest, the cold air behind the system will be received by sufficient humidity to trigger persistent blizzards, gusts of wind and blizzard in parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and East Dakotas.
“Traveling can become impossible due to winds and zero visibility with snow conditions,” warns CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
The system is in no hurry to move around the region, as the impacts could last until Friday for millions in the Great Lakes.
Prolonged snowfall, accompanied by periods of heavy snow from the lake effect on the south shore of Lake Superior, will lead to widespread coverage of 3 to 6 inches of snow in the Upper Midwest, with the highest totals likely ranging between 6 and 10 inches in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin.
As the system moves east from Thursday night to Friday, periods of snow, rain and a winter mix will affect parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
Rain and snow arrive in the Northeast on Friday night
A secondary low-pressure system will form along the cold front as the system reaches the East Coast on Friday night through Saturday morning.
Although it promises to bring a wet start to the Northeast weekend, most of the area will see rain, not snow, thanks to the relatively mild January temperatures.
Places like New York City and Boston will be in the mid-1940s on Saturday, with half an inch to an inch of rain, as opposed to the several inches of snow they would see if temperatures were cooler.
Snowfall on Friday night and Saturday will be limited to upstate New York and northern New England. For the most part, even these locations should only see about 5 to 5 inches, although some of the favorite elevation locations can see more than half a foot of snow.
Generating the storm’s powerful winds has been the difference in air pressure between a zone of strong high pressure in the southwest and the low coming from the northwest.