Travel advisory issued for parts of Minnesota as whiteout conditions target Upper Midwest

The Minnesota Department of Transportation issued a "no travel advisory" for highways in northwestern Minnesota as high winds caused dangerous blowing snow and low visibility.

Drivers in Minnesota and North Dakota should be prepared for intense bursts of heavy snow, wind gusts over 40 mph and visibility under one-quarter of a mile.

The cold front will move through the Minneapolis-St. Paul area during the afternoon and reach Chicago by the evening.

Wind gusts could reach 50 mph in the Twin Cities; Des Moines, Iowa; and Chicago.

Winter storm warnings and lake effect snow warnings are in effect in western Michigan, western Pennsylvania and western New York, where up to 1 foot of snow could fall over the next few days.

Up to 10 inches of snow and 65 mph winds are also possible for parts of Appalachia from Wednesday night into Thursday.

The Northeast coast will see some rain on Thursday morning before strong winds move in. Those in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City should be prepared for wind gusts reaching 50 mph on Thursday afternoon.

Western Massachusetts up to Maine could see several inches of snow along with gusty winds.