Kevin Roth, Lead Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

Feb. 8, 2010 10:27 am ET

Two storm systems combine to bring a sprawling snowstorm to the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast Tuesday and Wednesday.

The northern storm swirls southeastward from the upper Mississippi Valley today to the lower Ohio Valley Tuesday. Light to occasionally moderate snow moves along with the storm dropping 4 to 8 inches of snow from eastern South Dakota through southern Minnesota and central Iowa.

The southern storm brought a quick 2 to 6 inches of snow across central Arkansas and western Tennessee this morning. Memphis had 3 to 5 inches across the city and Little Rock picked up a quick 1 to 4 inches. Light snow was reported as far east as south-central Tennessee and northern Alabama.

That system dries up as it continues to move eastward this afternoon, but a new round of snow is blossoming to the west over southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma.

The snow lifts to the northeast through northern Arkansas and southern Missouri on its way to the lower Ohio Valley by this evening. Accumulations of 2 to 6 inches are possible across southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Additional snowfall of 3 to 9 inches is possible across southern Missouri and northern Arkansas through Tuesday morning.

Tuesday the storms combine to bring a snowstorm to the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley.

Significant accumulations of 6 inches or more are likely in an area bound by Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Ohio, Cleveland, and Detroit.

Tuesday afternoon and evening the storm begins moving into the Mid-Atlantic spreading snow into western and northern Virginia during the afternoon and into the southern half of eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey during the evening.

Overnight the snow spreads throughout the rest of eastern Pennsylvania into New York and southern New England.

On Wednesday the storm rapidly strengthens off the New Jersey/Long Island coastline prolonging heavy snow from Washington to Boston. Strong winds develop Tuesday night and Wednesday producing blizzard conditions along the coast.

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