(NewsNation Now) — Winter weather is about to sweep the country from California to Michigan, according to the National Weather Service. The developing storm is expected to bring up to 12 inches of snow across at least 10 states.
The cross-country storm is expected to expand eastward into the north-central states through Friday and early Saturday and bring the threat of strong winds, rain and possibly isolated tornadoes to the south on Friday.
NewsNation meteorologist Gerard Jebaily says the storm system will affect nearly “all of the lower 48 states in some capacity.”
The National Weather Service issued winter storm watches for parts of New Mexico, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado Wednesday.
“It’s pulling in colder air from up north dropping temperatures across the northwest where a band of significant snow will fall across the parched Rocky Mountains region in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada,” Jebaily said.
Six to 10 inches of snow is expected to blanket the northern plains along the Nebraska and South Dakota border and stretch toward the Upper Great Lakes.
Experts have said the storm is not likely to develop into a bomb cyclone as others have this year, but it is likely to become strong enough to bring the first gust of heavy snow for the season.
Jebaily says warmer temperatures are expected in the south.
“Down south the storm is pulling in some very warm air and moisture off the Gulf of Mexico. Temperatures will soar in Texas and Louisiana likely breaking records on Friday but that air mass will be rich fuel for strong to severe thunderstorms to fire up,” he said.
There’s a threat for tornadoes, damaging straight-line wind and large hail on Friday in the lower Mississippi River valley with the cities of Memphis, Little Rock, Louisville, and Nashville in the highest risk area. Cold is expected in the Southeast and the East Coast states will experience rain and thunderstorms Friday through Saturday,
Watch the video in the embedded player for the complete forecast.