Winter weather alerts extend from Midwest to Plains

Winter weather alerts are in place from the Plains to the upper Midwest as a cold front cuts through the middle of the country. 

ENDANGERED SEABIRD AT HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK CAUGHT ON CAMERA FOR FIRST TIME

On the warm side of the front, heavy rain is dropping from the southern Plains to the Ohio River Valley. 

The heaviest rain on Thursday is expected across Tennessee and Kentucky. 

Back on the cold side of the front, snow is spreading from the Plains to Michigan. 

Widely 1-3 inches of snow is expected. 

Additionally, ice is forecast from Kansas and northeastward to portions of Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, unsettled weather is forecast for the West Coast. 

Several systems are expected over the next few days, the first bringing coastal showers and high-elevation snow beginning Thursday morning in the Pacific Northwest. 

A second, larger system will reach into northern California over the weekend.