The Midwest and Northeast are going to kick off the new year with the first major winter storm of 2014. 

The impending storm, named Winter Storm Hercules by the Weather Channel, has already begun in the Midwest. Light snow is spreading from the northern Rockies and Plains into the southern and eastern Great Lakes, according to Weather.com.

The light Plains snowfall will then shift southward into Kansas and Missouri, and will continue Wednesday night into the southern Great Lakes into Central New York and northern Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, snow will continue into the Ohio Valley, and may extend into parts of northern Tennessee. 

Hercules will then move east into Lake Superior and Lake Michigan on Wednesday and Thursday. The band of snow in Lake Michigan will target Milwaukee and Chicago, and will them move into Northwest Indiana. Parts of Indiana could see more than a foot of snow, but most areas will see around six inches or more in the southern Great Lakes region on Thursday. 

One to four inches are expected from Kansas and Nebraska into the mid-Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley.

Coastal lows will develop off the Mid-Atlantic coast on Thursday, which will spread the system into the Northeast. 

On Thursday into Friday, the low-pressure center will cause significant snow accumulations in upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania. Coastal areas from New York City northward could also see a good amount of snow.

The band of light-moderate snow early Thursday from New York state to New England will develop into a wider area of snowfall by Thursday night from northern Virginia to southern Maine. 

Temperatures will be in teens and 20s, meaning the snow will by a dry, powdery snow with the "fluff factor," meaning there will be higher snow accumulations than if it were wet snow. Temperatures will drop further on Friday, possibly reaching zero in areas away from the coast. 

The low pressure center will also bring strong northeast winds to areas from the Jersey Shore to southern and eastern New England from Thursday into Friday. This will lead to blowing and drifting snow and poor visibility. For coastal southern New England, blizzard conditions could develop as winds reach 35 mph Thursday into Friday. 

The highest snow accumulations of over a foot are expected along the Interstate 90 corridor from northeast Ohio into New York and southern New England. 

Farther south, lighter snowfall is expected, as well as blustery winds. 

The winter storm is then expected to hit the East Coast by Friday afternoon. That could many flight delays at major Northeast airports and dangerous driving conditions. 

There could also be coastal flooding at high tide for the east coast of New England due to strong onshore winds Thursday and Friday.