Next high-impact winter storm has Kansas City, Chicago, Detroit bracing for snow starting Wednesday

Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City on alert as massive midweek winter storm gets set to slam Midwest

The parade of winter storms that have been slamming the U.S. isn’t letting up anytime soon, and now millions of people across portions of the Midwest are on alert ahead of the next system that’s expected to dump snow across Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City, Missouri. FOX Weather Meteorologist Marissa Torres and Craig Herrera have the latest.

CHICAGO – A parade of powerful winter storms marches on this week as another potent system promises to bring a swath of high-impact winter weather from the Plains and Midwest to the Great Lakes and Northeast starting Wednesday.

This latest round of inclement weather comes just as the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley clean up after a storm system brought snow and ice to those regions and days after a winter storm slammed portions of the Northeast and New England over the weekend.

The FOX Forecast Center is also monitoring the development of another storm system that is expected to slam dozens of states over the weekend.

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This image from the exclusive FOX Model Futuretrack shows a powerful winter storm sweeping across the U.S. from the Plains and Midwest through the Great Lakes region, Northeast and New England starting on Wednesday.

(FOX Weather)

Just like what we experienced with the system earlier this week, this midweek winter storm will once again bring snow to the Plains and Midwest, but there will be a lot more of it this time around.

The FOX Forecast Center said that heavy snow is possible from Kansas City, Missouri to Chicago and Detroit in the Great Lakes region by Wednesday night as the area of low pressure rapidly strengthens.

Out of all the storm systems the FOX Forecast Center has been tracking this week, this one looks to be the one that could be the snowiest in terms of totals and coverage.

And whether you're a fan of the snow or not, it's desperately needed.

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Cities like Chicago, Milwaukee and Omaha, Nebraska, are all facing a snow deficit this season. While this latest round of winter weather won’t completely eradicate the snow drought, it will certainly help.

There is growing confidence that this winter storm could dump 5–8 inches of snow in each of those cities.

Ice could also be a concern in portions of Oklahoma and Missouri.

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A wide swath of the U.S. from the Intermountain West through the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes region are under some sort of winter weather alert in advance of the storm ramping up.

Winter Storm Warnings are in effect from Kansas and southern Nebraska through to western Illinois.

This includes cities like Salina and Topeka in Kansas and Kansas City.

A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and Saginaw, Michigan.

Northern Indiana and portions of extreme northwestern Ohio are also included in the Winter Storm Watch.

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Storm impacts uncertain in Northeast, New England

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The system will move into the Northeast and New England by Thursday, and that’s when the forecast turns a bit tricky.

The FOX Forecast Center said that some uncertainty remains regarding just how cold or warm the heavily traveled Interstate 95 corridor will be.

Computer forecast model trends have been showing it to be slightly warmer than it has been, meaning cities like New York City and Philadelphia could once again miss out on a significant snow event.

However, that forecast could change as we get closer to Thursday.

The FOX Forecast Center said that there is high confidence that the mid-Atlantic will stay on the warmer side of the storm, meaning this could be a mostly rain event for that region.

It will be much colder to the north, however, locking in higher snowfall totals in cities and towns north of Boston. Impacts to the west of the I-95 corridor are also still uncertain as temperatures there could also fluctuate.

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Weekend winter storm includes severe weather threat

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The winter storm threat won’t be letting up as we head into the weekend as the FOX Forecast Center tracks yet another system that will also have a severe weather component as it tracks across the U.S.

Unlike the previous storms that have been blasting the nation since last weekend, this low-pressure system associated with the weekend threat will rapidly strengthen over the Deep South rather than waiting until it nears the East Coast.

The jet stream has played a major role in how these storms have been moving across the Lower 48 and will take more of an amplified dip across the South rather than remaining flat.

Severe thunderstorms could develop ahead of the cold front, which will be the main driver of the system as it moves across the Southeast.

All severe weather threats, including hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes, will be possible.

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The FOX Forecast Center said the storm will generate widespread rain on its eastern side as it tracks off toward the Northeast.

That will limit, but not eliminate, the snow threat. Most snow, however, won’t develop until the system taps into the frigid air over the Midwest and New England.

Moderate to heavy snow is expected along the Interstate 90 corridor from Des Moines, Iowa, to Chicago and into New England.

That could potentially lead to another significant snowfall event, possibly up to a foot, north of Boston in northern New England and in parts of upstate New York.

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For cities along the Interstate 95 corridor, including New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, the same cold front fueling severe weather in the South could hold it together as it moves to the north.

In fact, some computer forecast models show there could even be some moderate warming that could lead to scattered thunderstorms.

Be sure to download the free FOX Weather app and enable notifications to be alerted to any changes in the forecast.