A major winter storm is expected to bring snow and ice to the Midwest and Northeast

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

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

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

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

Snow is expected to continue through Thursday evening 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.

Heavy to moderate snowfall is expected to end by 4 a.m. on Sunday. The snowfall is expected to end completely by Saturday morning between 8am and 11am

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-inch in central Pennsylvania, such as in Johnstown and Clarion. Drivers along I-80 and I-70 are advised to use extreme caution. Power outages are also possible with high levels of ice.

Up to 0.2 inch of ice is possible in areas of northeastern West Virginia and across central and northwestern Pennsylvania, as well as much of Michigan, including Detroit. Driving is expected to be difficult on untreated surfaces.

Washington, D.C. and Baltimore may also see some ice accumulation Friday and into Friday night.

Across the upper Midwest, ice accumulation of about 0.2 inch is possible from northern Minnesota through northern Wisconsin and Michigan.