Snow squall warnings are in place for parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast through Thursday.
"Snow squalls are short, intense bursts of snow and wind that can reduce visibility and cause dangerous travel conditions," according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, widespread strong winds will affect the Central Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with wind gusts up to 80 mph that could cause power outages, downed trees and hazardous driving conditions due to areas of blowing snow.
The Central Appalachians and higher terrain of interior New England could also see up to a foot of snow. In some areas of the Central Appalachians, "heavy snow will combine with string winds to produce near-blizzard conditions," according to the NWS prediction center.
On Thursday and Friday, light to moderate snow is forecast for parts of the Central Appalachians, with light to moderate lake-effect snow for parts of Michigan.
Advisories and warnings
Portions of the Great Lakes region are under winter storm watches and warnings for the next few days, NWS meteorologists said.
Blizzard warnings have been issued for the mountains of West Virginia and Garret, Md., through Thursday afternoon, and wind gusts could reach as high as 60 mph.
Winter storm warnings have been issued through Friday for parts of Indiana, Maine, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
Winter weather advisories have been issued through Thursday and Friday for parts of Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Lake-effect snow warnings are also in effect through Friday and Saturday for portions of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
Lake-effect snow occurs when cold air driven by wind flows over warmer lakes. In the case of this winter storm, the Great Lakes have been experiencing record warmth.
Freezing temperatures
Bitter cold continues for parts of the U.S. this week. According to the latest short-range forecast, "temperatures will be 10 to 20 degrees below average over parts of the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic."
