Major winter storm forecast to bring snow and ice to Midwest, Northeast

A major winter storm is expected to bring ice and snow to the upper Midwest on Thursday, with the system moving through the lower Northeast on Friday and ending Saturday morning.

Freezing rain is forecast to move across northern Minneapolis and Wisconsin Thursday night. Rain is expected to reach Michigan on Friday morning and move into western and central Pennsylvania later in the morning.

Most of the freezing rain and ice accumulation is expected to occur in central and western Pennsylvania.

Snow flurries could begin as early as noon Thursday in New York City, although most of the forecast snow is expected to fall after 4 p.m.

Snowfall is expected to continue into Thursday night in New York City, upstate New York, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, although Boston is not expected to see significant snow.

Much of the heavy to moderate snowfall is expected to end by 4 a.m. Sunday. Snowfall is forecast to end completely Saturday morning between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.

New York City, northern New Jersey, the southern Hudson Valley and western Pennsylvania are expected to see the most snow accumulation, with more than half a foot possible. Some areas could see up to 8 or 9 inches of snow.

Ice accumulation could reach more than a quarter of an inch in central Pennsylvania, such as in Johnstown and Clarion. Drivers on I-80 and I-70 have been advised to use extreme caution. Power outages are also possible with high levels of icing.

Up to 0.2 inches of ice is possible in areas of northeastern West Virginia and central and northwestern Pennsylvania, as well as much of Michigan, including Detroit. Difficult driving on untreated surfaces is expected.

Washington, DC and Baltimore may also see some ice accumulation on Friday and into Friday night.

In the upper Midwest, ice accumulation of about 0.2 inches is possible from northern Minnesota to northern Wisconsin and Michigan.