As a strong cold front moves eastward Thursday, hazardous winter weather is possible across portions of the Great Lakes region, New England and the Appalachian Mountains, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Downwind areas of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are expected to experience intense periods of lake effect snow Friday evening, continuing into Saturday, with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour.

“Across the Appalachian Mountains and inland New England, there is a 60 to 80 percent chance of 30 cm of snow falling before the event subsides over the next day or two,” the NWS said in its update at 3 p.m. ET.

Forecasters warned travelers that winter weather conditions could lead to dangerous snow-covered roads and poor visibility.

Widespread strong wind gusts, which could reach up to 60 miles per hour, will continue through Thursday evening across portions of central Appalachia, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast and could lead to power outages, downed trees and dangerous driving.

Isolated snow squalls are also possible in northern New England through this evening.

Notes and warnings

Portions of the Great Lakes and Northeast regions are under a winter storm watch and warning for the next few days, NWS meteorologists said.

Blizzard warnings were issued for the mountains of West Virginia through Friday and for northwestern Pennsylvania through Saturday.

Winter storm warnings have been issued for parts of Indiana, Maine, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont through Friday.

Winter weather advisories have been issued for portions of Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia through Thursday and Friday.

Lake effect snow warnings are also in effect for parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York through Friday and Saturday.

Lake effect snow occurs when wind-driven cold air flows over warmer lakes. In the case of this winter storm, the Great Lakes experienced record warmth.

Freezing temperatures

The bitter cold continues this week in parts of the United States. According to the latest near-term forecast, “Wind chills in the Appalachian mountains from West Virginia to New Hampshire could fall into the negative teens, while valleys across much of the East could see wind chills in the single digits and into the teens.”