At a Glance

Another powerful winter storm will spread snow and wind along its cross-country path.The combination of heavy snow and strong winds will reduce visibility and make for dangerous travel conditions.Winter Storm Gerri will move from the West midweek into the Great Lakes and southeastern Canada this weekend.

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Winter Storm Gerri will intensify as it tracks through the central and eastern U.S. late this week. Expect heavy snow in parts of the West, Midwest and interior Northeast, as well as widespread gusty winds.

T​he National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa remarked that "storms of this magnitude are fairly rare with recurrence around once or twice per decade," in a blizzard warning issued for much of Iowa by the office Thursday afternoon.

This storm track may seem familiar as m​any areas that will be impacted by Gerri just said goodbye to ​ but some will see more snow and gustier winds than in previous storms. This potent low pressure system will also bring .

Where Gerri is now: This next winter storm is spreading snow and lower elevation rain across portions of the Plains and Southern Rockies and has left behind snowy and windy conditions in the Northwest.

G​erri prompted blizzard warnings for mountain areas of Oregon and Washington earlier this week for the first time since 2012. Stevens Pass, Washington, reported blizzard conditions Tuesday and picked up 29 inches of snow in 30 hours through Tuesday evening.

(15-min details: For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)

Current Radar

Current winter weather alerts: A​ variety of winter weather alerts have been issued in the West, Central Plains and Great Lakes. Travel could become treacherous in areas where winter storm warnings are in effect.

N​ew blizzard warnings have been issued for parts of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin, where wind gusts as high as 40 mph will blow around snow and cause lower visibilities.

W​inter storm warnings in the Midwest have been issued for heavy snow and strong winds. Cities in these warnings include Chicago; Des Moines, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Wisconsin; Omaha, Nebraska; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Winter Alerts

(Issued by the National Weather Service)

T​iming of wintry weather in the central and eastern states: Low pressure will emerge in the Plains Thursday. This system will then strengthen as it races into the Great Lakes and southeastern Canada Friday night and Saturday.

Snow will fall in areas where moisture overlaps with cold air.

Plains, M​idwest:Snow will increase Thursday in the Central Plains and Thursday night in areas as far east as southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois and northern Indiana. Snow will continue in much of the Midwest through Friday. Winds will be strong in some areas, which could limit visibility due to blowing snow.

N​ortheast: Snow or a mix of rain and snow is expected in the interior Northeast late Friday into Saturday. The Interstate 95 corridor will likely see another round of heavy rainfall. Flooding is possible, especially in locations where the ground is already saturated from heavy rain earlier this week that fell on snowpack from last weekend's winter storm.

Thursday night's Forecast

(The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow. Areas in pink are expected to see sleet or freezing rain (ice).)

Friday's Forecast

(The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow. Areas in pink are expected to see sleet or freezing rain (ice).)

Friday Night's Forecast

(The green shadings depict where rain is expected. Areas that are shaded blue are expected to see snow. Purple-shaded locations may see either rain or snow. Areas in pink are expected to see sleet or freezing rain (ice).)

W​inds are a concern, too: As the low pressure deepens, winds will increase across the central and eastern U.S.

Strong winds will crank up in the Midwest on Friday and continue into Saturday as Gerri departs the region. The combination of gusty winds and snowfall will reduce visibility and lead to hazardous travel conditions. Near-whiteout conditions are possible in portions of the Plains.

The Northeast can expect another round of strong winds from Friday night into Sunday.

D​owned trees and power outages are possible.

Wind Forecast

H​ow much snow in the central and eastern states? Moderate to locally heavy snowfall is likely in areas shaded in purple on the map below. Much of Iowa, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin into Michigan could see more than 6 inches of snow, including Chicago and Milwaukee.

K​eep in mind the area where the heaviest snow is forecast right now could change in future updates, so be sure to check back.

Rain And Snow Forecast

Linda Lam is a lead meteorologist at weather.com. Growing up in Massachusetts she developed a fascination for winter storms and hurricanes that led her to pursue a career in meteorology.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, .