The fast-moving storm that dumped over 3 inches of snow on Wednesday in Las Vegas will slam a number of major cities east of the Rockies today, including Chicago, New York and Boston, creating the potential for widespread travel problems.

Expert Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno says that the week before Christmas could be the stormiest week of the winter of 2008 - 2009.

The near-constant parade of storms that began last week will continue to spread a nasty mix of rain, ice and snow across the country right up until Christmas Eve.

The recent storm in the Southwest and a new storm in the Northwest have dropped phenomenal snowfall in some areas. Dry, desert areas that typically see little or no snow through the entire winter have been buried by heavy snow from these single storms.

Snow is being measured in feet over interior Washington, while the ground was blanketed with snow in southern Nevada.

Three storms over the next week will move from the West Coast across the central Plains into the Midwest and the Northeast. Each will produce substantial snow and heavy rain sandwiched around a dangerous band of icy precipitation.

The Severe Weather Center lists the storm-related watches and warnings currently in effect across virtually all of the United States.

The lead storm early this morning is moving through the central Plains, one day after pounding the Southwest deserts and mountains with heavy snow.

The storm will speed across the Great Lakes early this morning, where it will cause travel chaos in the Chicagoland region. Later today, the system will create more travel woes in the major East Coast cities, especially Boston.

Chief Meteorologist Elliot Abrams says early this morning, as much as a foot of snow will fall north of Chicago, while a mix of precipitation in the Windy City will likely cause problems at O'Hare and Midway airports.

Early today, the wintry mix will spread through Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto and Buffalo before the storm heads to the East Coast during the midday hours.

The Winter Weather Center is forecasting snow in New York City, with 1 to 3 inches likely in Manhattan and higher amounts in the northern and western suburbs. However, if an expected change over to ice and then rain is delayed, heavier amounts will occur in the city.

The heaviest snow will spread from western New York into southern New England, putting Boston in the crosshairs. According to Abrams, as much as a foot of snow could be on the ground by the afternoon rush hour on the Mass Pike.

Right on the heels of storm number 1 is the system that brought snow to the Pacific Northwest Thursday and will continue to do so early this morning. Spokane, Wash. has received 23.3 inches of snow from the storm. The snow shattered the old 24-hour record of 13 inches set in 1984.

The Northwest system will blast across the Plains through Saturday, reaching the Northeast on Sunday. More rain, ice and snow will spread from the Front Range of the Rockies to the Eastern Seaboard. The storm carries extra baggage in the form of an extremely cold arctic air mass.

The Midwest Regional News story reports subzero temperatures will be the norm this weekend from Montana to the Dakotas. Extreme AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures will create dangerous conditions for anyone exposed to the cold for brief periods.

Storm number 3, poised to move into the Pacific Northwest this weekend another dose of heavy snow and also ice, could be a major troublemaker in the East on Christmas Eve day.

Expert Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg says by Tuesday, the storm will roll out of the Rockies onto the Plains.

It will follow a similar track taken by the two previous systems, gathering strength as it crosses the Plains on its way to the Midwest and the Northeast.

On the plus side, Lundberg says, "With more cold air in place, you have to believe someone that misses out on snow with the next storm storms gets some just in time for a White Christmas."

The storm pattern through Christmas will create travel nightmares, even though fewer Americans are expected to be traveling over the holiday period.

The American Automobile Association on Wednesday released its Christmas travel projection which calls for a slight decline in the number of Americans traveling during the Christmas holiday period.

AAA says nearly 63.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Christmas holiday travel period, a decrease of 1.4 million travelers (2.1 percent) from last year's total of 65.3 million and the first decline in Christmas holiday travelers since 2002.