Our eyes are on a quick-hitting system that will bring snow and rain to those from the northern Plains through the Midwest and Northeast Wednesday to Friday. Snow is already falling in the Dakotas and will move into the Midwest shortly.

A winter storm will drop up to half a foot of snow as it zips across parts of the northern half of the U.S. through Friday this week. The ‘warmer,’ southern flank will include a cold rain.

Winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings are posted and include places like Pierre and Brookings, S.D., Marshall and Minneapolis, Minn., as well as La Crosse and Green Bay, Wis.

The highest snow totals reaching up to that 6-inch mark are expected in east-central South Dakota and southwest Minnesota by Wednesday evening.

As this storm moves east, a widespread coating of 2 to 4 inches of snow is possible through the Upper Midwest and eastward into the Northeast.

Another hotspot to look out for when it comes to higher snow totals is southern Wisconsin, with accumulations near 7 inches. West-central Michigan could see similar totals due to the lake effect through Thursday. Note that the Great Lakes have little to no ice on them at this time, which will help produce more snowfall.

The WeatherRadar shows this wintry system getting into the Northeast by Thursday afternoon and lasting through Friday morning before the snowfall slowly dwindles.

Heavier snow totals are expected in the higher elevations of New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, possibly reaching the 6-inch mark here too, but the common totals could be between 1 and 3 inches for the lower elevations.

Don’t be surprised if at least a winter weather advisory gets issued for your area as this storm progresses eastward. Keep a close eye on the WeatherRadar, as commutes could be greatly impacted today through Friday morning.