The second of five storms that will slam the eastern half of the United States with snow and ice over a two week period is on the way – and this one has more snow than the first.

The Boston 25 Weather team is closely tracking a system that could bring up to 5 inches of snow and icy driving conditions on Thursday before an eventual flip to rain in some places.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Thursday in Massachusetts. See how much snow is expected

A winter storm was sweeping across a large portion of the US on Thursday, bringing snow, ice and rain to several states in the Midwest and Northeast.

A winter weather advisory is in effect in Massachusetts today as several inches of snow is expected to fall across the state, according to the National Weather Service's Boston office. Snow is already beginning in western Massachusetts as of 8 a.m. Thursday, and it will pick up in the eastern part of the state later this morning.

Snow will fall from Minnesota to Maine, with heavy amounts probably falling from Wisconsin to Massachusetts. Freezing rain and sleet will also be a big issue, especially south of Interstate 80 from Ohio through New Jersey.

ARLINGTON, Va. − A wall of snow, ice and rain was sweeping across the Northeast on Thursday, the first in a series of storms forecast to wallop much of the nation's northern tier over the next several days.

Forecasters are warning of possibly significant ice accumulations in several mid-Atlantic states that could cause widespread power outages and disrupt travel

Nearly half of the United States from the Midwest to Northeast will see snow or a freezing rain mix before the weekend arrives, weather forecasters say.