Another winter storm will cross the Midwest into the Northeast over the balance of the weekend, followed by a blast of arctic air. Meanwhile, a storm that will create blizzard conditions in the Northwest could cause trouble in the Midwest Tuesday and the East on Christmas Eve day.

The Midwest and the East will barely have time to dig out from the snow and ice that blasted the regions on Friday before the next system moves through by Sunday.

The extreme arctic air, being pushed to the south and east by strong winds behind the storm will pave the way for the third storm in the train that is adding to the winter woes in the Northwest.

The Severe Weather Center lists the storm- and cold-related watches, warnings and advisories in effect through the weekend across the northern tier of the country.

The Winter Weather Center reports that into Sunday morning the lead storm will spread snow across the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest, reaching into Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit.

Through Sunday, 3 to 6 inches is forecast in Minnesota and lower Michigan and up to a couple of inches in northern Illinois, with cold winds gusting to 40 mph creating areas of blowing and drifting snow that will reduce visibility and create hazardous winter driving conditions.

The storm will intensify on Sunday as it moves to the East Coast, producing heavy snow across the Northeast interior. As much as a foot of snow will fall from northeast New York into northern New England and Canada's Maritime Provinces.

According to the East Regional News story, how much snow falls along the Interstate 95 corridor is dependent on the track and intensity of the storm as it nears the East Coast. Warmer ocean air will likely be pulled into coastal and southern areas at the last minute, cutting accumulations or preventing them entirely.

Boston will get another blast of heavy snow, with 3 to 6 inches forecast in the city, before a change to rain at the height of the storm.

The New York City metropolitan area will likely get a mix of snow, ice and rain, while Philadelphia will deal with an icy mix changing to rain in the morning. After getting mostly rain on Friday, Pittsburgh will be hit with a few inches of snow Sunday.

In the Saturday video update, Expert Senior Meteorologist Joe "Scrooge" Lundberg says that despite the two storms and the arctic air mass, it will not make it a white Christmas for some areas of the country.

While it may be a green Christmas for the South, Ohio Valley and the coastal mid-Atlantic, the snow keeps piling up in the mountains west of the Continental Divide and in the northern tier of states to the delight of skiers, snowboarders and winter sports enthusiasts.
The West Regional News story reports that another winter storm is slamming into the Pacific Northwest this weekend.

The storm follows on the heels of the system now moving toward the Northeast that dumped more than 3 feet of snow on eastern Washington, northern Idaho and northwestern Montana on Thursday.

West Coast Expert Meteorologist Ken Clark says this complex storm will be a cause for serious concern in the Pacific Northwest. "This is likely to cause widespread problems from the coast to Idaho hampering all travel and being dangerous to life and property."

According to Clark, blizzard conditions will develop tonight in the Cascades from the Canadian border to central Oregon. Up to to 30 inches of snow with locally higher amounts will be blasted by sustained winds of 20 to 40 mph with gusts over 60 mph.

The heaviest snow from the lower mainland of British Columbia through Washington and Oregon west of the Cascades will begin tonight and continue into Sunday. A half a foot of snow is likely in Vancouver and Seattle, with over 2 feet of snow likely on the east slopes of the Olympic Range.

Snow accumulation in the Portland area will average 1 to 3 inches, assuming a change to a wintry mix occurs at the height of the storm.

Cooper Olson sleds down a flight of stairs in Spokane, Wash., on Friday, Dec. 19, 2008. Over 23 inches of snow fell in the city within a 36-hour period. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

East of Portland through the Columbia Gorge, expect heavier snow with 10 to 16 inches likely," adds Clark.

Strong winds and snow along the Interstate 5 corridor will create more hazardous driving conditions through Sunday and could lead to flight delays and cancellations.

The U.S. Forest Service Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center says the combination of heavy snow, cold air and varying wind speeds has resulted in an increased avalanche danger, especially on lee slopes at higher elevations.

While several feet of virgin powder snow is gold to backcountry enthusiasts, the NWAC warns, "This 'bottomless fluff' has resulted in some difficult travel conditions as well as a potential for 'Non-Avalanche Related Snow Immersion Death' (NARSID), in which a fall into the bottomless powder can be life threatening due to an inability to quickly get out of the snow and resulting snow inhalation and possible asphyxiation."

Once the storm is done with the Northwest, it will head to the east, moving east of the Mississippi River by Christmas Eve day. Low elevation rain and mountain snow will spread into Southern California and the Four Corners area Monday and Tuesday.

The storm currently is forecast to be more of a rainmaker than a snowstorm. However, a shallow layer of cold air could lead to an ice build-up over parts of the interior Northeast for a time. Surging warm air over a cold ground could also lead to widespread fog problems.

The two storms will be sandwiched around an arctic air mass plunging out of the Arctic. The Midwest Regional News story reports the core of the cold will spread across the Plains into the Midwest this weekend.

Temperatures will plummet to or below zero, while AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures will make it feel much colder. The extreme cold could cause hypothermia or frostbite in anyone exposed to the cold for even short periods of time.

By Monday, the coldest air so far this season will spread east of the Appalachians into the major East Coast cities. The chill will spread into the Deep South, erasing the unseasonably warm air that this week has kept the Deep South an island of calm in a sea of storm.