Winter Storm Watch

...A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL PRODUCE ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT... .A PAIR OF DISTURBANCES...ONE OVER THE DAKOTAS AND THE OTHER OVER THE FOUR CORNERS AREA...WILL MERGE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS DURING MONDAY. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY MONDAY NIGHT...WHILE A SECONDARY LOW MOVES FROM IOWA SOUTHEAST TO THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY. THE LARGE STORM SYSTEM WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES...MIDWEST AND OHIO VALLEY REGIONS TUESDAY THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY. THE LOCAL AREAS WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE A PROLONGED PERIOD OF MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY SNOW MONDAY NIGHT AND THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY. ...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING... A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. * TIMING...SNOW WILL SPREAD WEST TO EAST INTO THE AREA LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON OR EARLY MONDAY EVENING...INCREASE IN INTENSITY LATER MONDAY NIGHT...AND PERSIST INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM OVERNIGHT MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE DAY TUESDAY AND INTO TUESDAY EVENING. ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN NORTHWEST INDIANA TUESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM LAKE EFFECT SNOW. NORTHEAST WINDS WILL BECOME STRONG LATE TUESDAY...BECOMING NORTH TUESDAY NIGHT...AND REMAINING STRONG OUT OF THE NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY. * ACCUMULATIONS...MUCH OF THE AREA IS EXPECTED TO RECEIVE A TOTAL OF 8 TO 10 INCHES...WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE WHERE LAKE ENHANCED AND SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT SNOW MAY OCCUR. * HAZARDS...LARGE SNOWFALL TOTALS...GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITY...SNOW COVERED ROADS...BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. * IMPACTS...TRAVEL IS LIKELY TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HAMPERED DURING THE SNOW STORM...AND MAY BECOME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS FROM MONDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. DUE TO THE LONG DURATION OF MODERATE SNOWFALL...AND THE POTENTIAL FOR PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW...EVEN MAJOR ROADS AND HIGHWAYS MAY SEE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ON THE PAVEMENT. SNOW DRIFTING ACROSS ROADS WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH WEDNESDAY.