At a Glance

A major winter storm is tracking from the Rockies and Plains to the Great Lakes and Northeast. Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are likely in parts of the Northern Plains and upper Midwest. Accumulating sleet and ice is expected in the Great Lakes and Northeast. This will make travel difficult, if not impossible, in some areas.

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Winter Storm Olive's cross-country trek is underway, but the worst of its impacts are still to come as it spreads heavy snow and blizzard conditions through the Rockies, Plains and upper Midwest, and snow and ice from the Great Lakes into parts of the Northeast.

O​live could be one of the heaviest snowstorms in years for parts of the upper Midwest, including Minneapolis-St. Paul, where the National Weather Service .

H​ere's the latest rundown on where Olive is now and where it's heading next.

Latest Status, Alerts

Snowfall from Olive is ongoing right now in the Rockies, upper Midwest and Northern Plains, but this is just the beginning stages of the storm.

Blizzard warnings have been posted by the National Weather Service in parts of six states in the Rockies and Northern Plains, as shown on the map below.

Various winter storm warnings, winter storm watches and winter weather advisories are also in effect from the Rockies into the upper Midwest, Great Lakes, upstate New York and New England.

(​READ: Here's Why Winter Storm Olive Is So Large)

Some of the blizzard and winter storm warnings for Olive are in areas where major to extreme impacts from the storm are expected, according to . Heavy snow and strong winds could cause whiteout conditions and extremely dangerous or impossible travel in these areas, especially Wednesday into Thursday.

Timing

S​nowfall in some of these areas may last for several days. Here is our latest forecast timing.

-​ Through Tuesday night: Snow spreads into the central Rockies and higher terrain of the Desert Southwest. Snow also spreads into the Northern Plains and western Great Lakes.

Tuesday's Forecast

(Areas of rain, snow, ice and mixed precipitation are shown by the color contours.)

-​ Wednesday and Wednesday night: Snow and strong winds intensify in the Rockies, Northern Plains and upper Midwest with blizzard conditions possible. Snow spreads into interior Northeast and New England and intensifies late. Sleet and ice develop from the Missouri Valley into the southern Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast.

Wednesday's Forecast

(Areas of rain, snow, ice and mixed precipitation are shown by the color contours.)

-​ Thursday and Thursday night: Snow, along with some sleet and freezing rain, tapers off in the western Great Lakes but continues in parts of New York and New England before moving out by early Friday morning.

(​MAPS: 7-Day U.S. Daily Rain/Snow Forecasts)

Thursday's Forecast

(Areas of rain, snow, ice and mixed precipitation are shown by the color contours.)

H​ow Much Snow, Ice?

Parts of the Northern Plains and upper Midwest could pick up at least a foot of snow. Accumulating ice is also a concern for others from the Midwest to the Northeast.

for more details on how much snow and ice could happen and where.

Snowfall Forecast

(Note, this forecast includes a separate light snow event that will brush areas near the Canadian border from the northern Great Lakes to northern New England through Tue. night. The majority of the snowfall on the map above, however, will occur with Winter Storm Olive. )

W​inds Will Add To Impacts

Strong winds will combine with heavy snow to produce blizzard conditions in parts of the Northern Plains from late Tuesday through early Thursday.

T​ravel could become extremely difficult, if not impossible, over areas from Wyoming into South Dakota, central and southern Minnesota and into northern Wisconsin. Roads, including interstates, could become impassable or may close, especially in rural areas.

B​itterly cold air plunging in during the snowstorm could become life-threatening for those stranded on roads.

W​e strongly urge those with travel plans in these areas to either complete them before the storm or postpone them until after the storm is over.

Some power outages and downed tree limbs or trees could also result from the weight of the snow combined with the force of the strong winds.

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