AccuWeather.com

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

Mar 17, 2010; 9:15 AM ET

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Do not let the current mild weather fool you across the Rockies, Plains and Great Lakes. Winter is not over and the return of disruptive snow is right around the corner.

All places across the nation's midsection will turn noticeably colder at some point this weekend and snow will fall on some areas dealing with flooding or beginning cleanup.

While temperatures were surging into the 50s and 60s throughout the lower elevations of the Rockies, Plains and Great Lakes Wednesday, highs on Saturday, the first day of spring, will be mainly the 30s for much of the region.

As the chilly air plunges southward, a snowstorm will get underway across the central Rockies late on Thursday. The snow will spread into northern New Mexico and the central Plains during Friday.

A period of rain will mark the storm's arrival along the Front Range of the Rockies and central Plains. A changeover to substantial snow will follow.

Gusty northerly winds ushering in the cold will worsen the situation by whipping the snow around and reducing visibility.

The potential exists for 6-12 inches of snow to blanket southeastern and central Wyoming on Thursday night into Friday. This includes Cheyenne.

Around 6 inches is in store for Denver on Friday. Airline passengers should prepare for lengthy delays and potential cancellations. The resultant ripple effect threatens to impact travelers at other airports across the nation.

Travel along Interstates 25, 70, 76, 80 and 90 will become slow and slippery. Parents should plan for possible school closures.

On Friday night into the weekend, many places from the Texas Panhandle to northern Missouri and Iowa to upper Michigan are forecast to receive accumulating snowfall. Amounts will range from 3 to 6 inches, but locally more may fall.

The exact track of the storm and snow totals are not set in stone. The possibility that the snow expands to part of the Midwest. cannot be ruled out.

Residents of Chicago could forced to sweep off their cars after enjoying 60-degree temperatures the next couple of days. Flakes could even fly in St. Louis and Detroit late in the weekend.

While the snow could disrupt travel and daily routines, there is one benefit to the invading cold air. The rate of snow melt will slow across the flood-ravaged northern and central Plains and part of the Midwest.