The storm hammering areas from Colorado to Nebraska with near-blizzard conditions will fade before reaching the northern Plains, Great Lakes and Northeast.

The storm responsible for over 2 feet of snow in parts of Colorado and severe thunderstorms farther south will mature over the Plains.

A push of dry air from the northern Plains to New England will prevent the storm from taking a traditional northeastward path.

Instead, a diminishing area of precipitation will reach areas from the Ohio Valley states to the mid-Atlantic over the weekend.

Heavy snow that reaches into Iowa tonight will become a generally light wintry mix over northern Illinois (including the Chicago area) and a bit of rain in central Indiana (around Indianapolis) and southern Ohio spanning Saturday.

A bit of rain will streak eastward over the Virginias, Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula Saturday night into Sunday (including Baltimore-Washington, D.C.).

It is possible that the air is cold enough to support a small accumulation of snow or a wintry mix in the mountains of the northern part of the Virginias and western Maryland.

There could be a few drops of rain, wet snowflakes and a dash of sleet from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.

Dry weather is in store for the swath from Huron, Fargo, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, New York City, Hartford and Boston.