A person walks through downtown as snow falls on Dec. 23, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minn. Mid-forties temperatures on Wednesday morning gave way to high speed wind, low temperatures, and heavy snowfall, as blizzard warnings blanket the state. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

A winter storm brought blizzard conditions to parts of the Plains and upper Midwest on Wednesday, and is heading into the East packing flooding rainfall, snow and severe thunderstorms, just in time for Christmas.

The storm has been named Winter Storm Harold by The Weather Channel.

Photos show a blanket of snow in Minneapolis Wednesday. The storm made travel dangerous and , which forced the closure interstates in South Dakota, Nebraska and Minnesota.

(MORE: Winter Storm Creates White-Knuckle Travel Conditions; Over 100 Flights Canceled)

due to Harold, according to the flight tracking website, flightaware.com. Another 136 were canceled as of Thursday afternoon.

Eastern states can expect to see strong winds and widespread rain Thursday night into Friday, with from the mid-Atlantic northward near New York City and southern New England.

(MORE: Christmas Week Storm Heads for the East With Strong Winds, Heavy Rain, Snow and Threat of Severe Storms)

The National Weather Service has issued a slew of warnings and alerts, including high wind alerts from the Coastal mid-Atlantic to New York City, as well as Long Island and southern and eastern New England. Flood watches have been issued by the National Weather Service from areas of the mid-Atlantic to southern and eastern New York and into New England. Parts of the Appalachians to western New York are under National Weather Service winter weather alerts.

Southeastern Virginia and into the eastern Carolinas could see strong to severe thunderstorms Thursday afternoon into the evening, with the possibility of tornadoes.

Click through the slideshow above to see Harold's progression from the Midwest.

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