A winter storm tracking into the West will take aim at the Plains and upper Midwest by midweek. A combination of snow and high winds could produce blizzard conditions in some areas, resulting in dangerous travel conditions.

This weather system has been named Winter Storm Nyla by The Weather Channel.

Latest Storm Status

The storm is producing snowfall in the West right now, from California's Sierra Nevada into the Rockies, as the latest radar shows below.

Various winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories have been issued by the National Weather Service in the mountain West for the snowfall and gusty winds.

Winter storm watches also stretch from the Central Plains to the upper Midwest, including parts of Kansas and Nebraska to southeast Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. Some of these areas could be upgraded to blizzard warnings or winter storm warnings for high winds and snowfall arriving late Tuesday into Wednesday.

Timing the Storm

-Monday Night - Tuesday: Much of the northern and central Rockies will be impacted by snowfall. Snow should taper off in the Sierra Nevada by Tuesday morning. Some snow could reach as far east as South Dakota during the day.

The storm will also contribute to strong winds in the southern High Plains, leading to high fire danger and possibly blowing dust.

-Tuesday Night: Snow or rain changing to snow and increasing winds will advance across parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, northwest Iowa, southern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Blizzard conditions might develop in the Central Plains.

-Wednesday: Snow or rain changing to snow will impact areas from northern Kansas into eastern Nebraska, western and northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The combination of snow and strong wind gusts over 40 or 50 mph could create blizzard conditions in some of these areas.

Travel should be avoided because of low visibility and the potential for snow to make roads slippery. That includes the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro; Sioux City, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; and Rochester, Minnesota.

Areas in the Midwest and South where rain is forecast might see a few severe storms with gusty winds or hail, but we don't expect anything near the severity of what these regions saw in the outbreak this past Friday and Saturday.

Locations that don't see snowfall in the Plains and Midwest will also see gusts up to 50 mph or even higher in some cases, as the forecast centered on Wednesday afternoon shows below. Sporadic power outages and some tree damage could occur and parts of the southern High Plains will see more high fire danger and possible blowing dust.

-Wednesday Night-Thursday: Snowfall or rain changing to snow in combination with gusty winds could spread as far south and east as northern Missouri, northern Illinois and lower Michigan. But accumulations should be minimal.

How Much Snow To Expect

-The heaviest snow totals from this storm will be in higher elevations of the mountain West. Some locations in winter storm warnings will see a foot or more of snow.

-In the Plains and Midwest, we don't expect blockbuster totals. But some areas from northwest Kansas and Nebraska to northwest Iowa, southern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan could see anywhere from a couple of inches to locally over 6 inches, depending on where heavier bands set up.

-Blizzard conditions or poor visibility could contribute to difficult travel even in areas where lower totals are forecast.

Chris Dolcehas been a senior digital meteorologist with weather.com for nearly 15 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.