AccuWeather.com

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

Mar 18, 2010; 5:46 PM ET

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An abrupt change to colder weather will transform a seemingly harmless area of rain and snow showers over the northern Rockies now to a major snowfall from the central and southern Rockies to the central Plains and part of the Great Lakes over the next few days.

Disruptive snow will fall on Denver and Cheyenne to Kansas City and other major cities over the middle of the nation.

The snow will fall on some areas where rivers are out of their banks.

Tonight, the snow will spread to the Front Range of the central Rockies and the central High Plains.

The snow will expand southward and eastward through the Plains and Rockies Friday.

Friday night into Saturday, the snow will stretch from northern New Mexico, the northern Texas Panhandle and much of Oklahoma to eastern Kansas, northern Missouri and perhaps central Michigan.

The snow will accumulate around 6 inches in Cheyenne and Denver. However, since this storm will pivot and stall for a time over the middle of the nation, potentially much heavier amounts could fall over parts of the central Plains.

Kansas City could end up in the middle of a monster snowfall.

Do not be fooled where rain starts to fall. A change to snow will soon follow and travel conditions will deteriorate.

Gusty northerly winds will worsen the situation by whipping the snow around and reducing visibility over parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas.

Travel along Interstates 25, 35, 40, 44, 70, 76 and 80 will become slow and slippery. Parents should plan for Friday's snow to cause school cancellations or early dismissals.

Airline passengers will likely experience lengthy flight delays and potential cancellations. The resultant ripple effect threatens to impact travelers at other airports across the nation.

Chicago will lie in the path of some snow this weekend. Residents could be forced to use their snow brushes if up to a few inches accumulate. The snow could have a tough time accumulating on paved surfaces around the Great Lakes region.

The snow may shift toward the St. Lawrence Valley early next week. It should be noted that this track is far from certain. The snow could shift more to the east.

The upcoming disruptive snow may be hard to believe with temperatures generally soaring into the 60s from the central Rockies and Plains to the lower Great Lakes much of this week.

Invading cold air will have this area enduring highs in the 30s and 40s at some point from Friday into the weekend.

While snow and rain from this storm will avoid the massive snowpack over the northern Plains, additional storms in the coming weeks could produce snow and rain in these northern areas.