A large winter storm system is set to bring snow and freezing weather to much of the country.
Every state in the country is under a weather advisory or warning starting Friday morning, and the freezing weather is expected to set records in dozens of cities.
Here's what to expect.
How many inches of snow do major cities get today?
The most alarming storm is a developing blizzard in Iowa. A blizzard warning will go into effect at 10 a.m. Central time and will last until early Saturday morning. According to the warning, the state will see between 4 and 8 inches of snow. Conditions are expected to worsen in the afternoon and evening, but temperatures are already in the teens and winds will be well below freezing throughout the day.
Cities including Des Moines, Iowa, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, are under blizzard warnings.
Winter storm warnings for heavy snow and high winds are also in effect for the Midwest and Great Lakes. Chicago is expected to they get between 4 and 6 inches snow on Lake Michigan and over a foot in some northwest suburbs. There could also be a period of snow and the cold weather at the end of the storm will lead to icy conditions.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin is estimated to have between 5 and 12 inches of snow.
East of Chicago, Michigan will see buildups at least a foot in some areas due to a weather phenomenon called lake effect snow. In Grand Rapidsthere could be between 6 and 12 inches of snow.
What is the track of the winter storm?
Much of the snow is expected to stop overnight, but will be followed by bitter cold across much of the country.
Freezing weather will stretch from Oregon to Nebraska on Saturday. In the Midwest, temperatures will be cold through the weekend, with Montana seeing a low of -41 degrees Fahrenheit and a wind chill that will feel like -60. Even during the day, temperatures in the state can be as low as -20.
On Sunday, the cold will range from Montana to Texas, and on Monday, cold temperatures will set records in more than 50 cities. Dallas, Texas will be just 11 degrees and Sioux City, Iowa could see a low of -20 degrees. As the week progresses, cold weather will push further south and east, reaching as far as Birmingham, Alabama.
How long will the winter storm last?
The snow will stop falling by Saturday morning, but the bitter cold won't stop until the end of next week.
What other bad weather can be expected?
It's not just the winter storm that some parts of the country have to worry about. Parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi remain under a tornado watch through Friday morning. This warning will continue in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina as the weather weakens.
The Northeast faces another round of heavy rain as temperatures remain in the 50s. It poses a threat to the area as the ground remains saturated after rain earlier in the week dumped several inches of rain on the area. The heaviest precipitation will occur Friday night into Saturday morning, with winds gusting to at least 40 mph. The region will then see some cold air on Sunday, with the best chances for snow accumulation in New York and Washington, DC on Wednesday.
David Parkinson contributed reporting.
