A large storm system developing by the middle of the upcoming week will bring rain and mild air to parts of the Plains and Great Lakes at first before colder air moves in by the end of the week.

By Brian Edwards, Meteorologist

Dec 11, 2011; 12:28 PM ET

This is the same storm which will bring rain and mountain snow to the Southwest and southern California.

As the storm system moves into the Desert Southwest on Tuesday, it will begin to send a plume of moisture northward into the Plains states.

Rain will break out on Tuesday from Albuquerque, N.M., to Dodge City and Kansas City, Kan., before quickly spreading into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Tuesday night into Wednesday.

With no cold air to be found and a mild southerly flow ahead of this storm, high temperatures for Chicago, Ill., and Des Moines, Iowa, will be 10-15 degrees above average.

This mild air also means that very little snow will be found with this storm initially. However, as the storm center moves into the Plains on Wednesday, it will begin to strengthen.

A cold northerly flow will come down into the northern Rockies and Plains later Wednesday and Wednesday night. This will help to create a narrow band of accumulating snow where the cold air catches up with the precipitation.

Cities with the best chance of some accumulating snow Wednesday night include Rochester, Minneapolis and Duluth, Minn.

Several inches of accumulation will be possible in these areas; however, the snow should taper off by Thursday.

Behind this storm, a strengthening flow of cold, Canadian air will send temperatures below normal from Bismarck, N.D., to International Falls, Minn., and Green Bay, Wis., for the end of next week.

On the southern side of the storm, a narrow band of rain and a few thunderstorms will rumble across cities such as Dallas and Oklahoma City Wednesday. This storm doesn’t have the greatest dynamics associated with it which leads us to believe the severe weather threat should remain low.

There is still some uncertainty on how this storm will evolve and the magnitude of the precipitation it will bring to the central part of the country.

Keep checking back with AccuWeather.com the next few days as more details become available.