“An intense and long lasting lake effect snow event (is) upcoming across the Great Lakes, especially Friday into this weekend,” meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Gaylord said today. “Be prepared for rapidly changing conditions with areas of limited or even near zero visibility at times.”

Snow showers will be an issue for the Michigan lake-effect snow belts. Additionally, cooler air rushes in, leaving lows below freezing throughout Metro Detroit.

A storm that was pounding California's Sierra Nevada with snow Tuesday took aim at the Colorado Rockies and could roll east and slam the Appalachians on Thanksgiving Day, bringing unsettled travel weather to millions of Americans hitting the skies and roads for the holiday weekend.

Heavy mountain snow will decrease Wednesday afternoon and end in the evening, but not before another two to six inches of snow stacks up, NWS forecasters said.

Eight states gave winter weather warnings, with heavy snow, strong winds, and unsafe travel conditions forecast until Thanksgiving. Follow Newsweek's live blog.