Snowfall totals on Thursday are expected to be light. The weekend forecast for a more serious winter storm remains uncertain.

Heavy snow is a term thrown around just before a major storm, but there is a standard definition used by the National Weather Service.

Parts of the Midwest and Northeastern United States are expected to see snow this week — some more than others.

Another massive winter storm is forecast to pummel the southern and eastern U.S., with impacts from Texas to the Carolinas.

Twenty states, from Texas to Delaware, were on alert Friday for snow and ice as the storm continued to move across the South.

Brutal cold will open the door for a winter storm to take a somewhat unusual track through the South and create treacherous conditions.

Snow will turn into sleet and freezing rain along parts of the Southeast, as well as southern Arkansas, the weather service reported. Forecasters warn that icy conditions, between a tenth and a quarter inch of ice, will make travel dangerous for many. Power outages and downed branches are also a concern.

While storm details remain uncertain, forecasters say the coldest air of the season is likely to blast the N.J. region next week.

A winter storm could blanket snow across parts of the Northeast on Sunday night. Here's what forecasters think this storm could mean for New England and for Washington D.C. before the inauguration.

A winter storm that dropped heavy snow and glazed roads throughout the U.S. South is maintaining its icy grip on much of the region into the weekend