A sprawling storm is set to hit the U.S. from Friday to Monday, stretching from Texas all the way to the Northeast.

Heavy snow, ice and brutal cold are expected to make this winter storm a potentially life-threatening weather event for 35 states.

The major winter storm will likely start late Saturday night or early Sunday morning during what is already a very cold period for the region and surrounding counties, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Initial predictions for the storm show 12-18 inches of snow falling through Monday.

Winter storms are notoriously difficult to forecast – especially in and around New York City. It’s no surprise, then, that heading into this weekend meteorologists are pulling their hair out trying to zero in on how much snow we’ll get in the tri-state area.

When it comes to predicting how much snow will fall when the massive weekend winter storm slams New Jersey, there’s no shortage of forecasts. Some predictions are on the high side, projecting a mega-snowstorm.

How much snow will Boston get from a monster winter storm this weekend? Here's the latest weather forecast.

The large winter storm mostly south of Michigan will swing some accumulating snow up into the southeast part of our state. Otherwise it’s a dangerously cold weekend for us. Here’s a look at all of the wintry weather this weekend.

The threat of a dangerous layer of ice has increased from the massive winter storm expected to slam New Jersey this weekend, burying most of the state under 12 to 18 inches of snow. “Confidence continues to increase in major impacts from a significant winter storm Saturday night through early Monday afternoon,

The details are likely to remain elusive well into the weekend, but on Wednesday evidence was accumulating that the Philadelphia region could become a winter wonderland for the remainder of January. “We’re definitely going to get some snow,