A massive winter storm is sweeping across the Northeast Thursday, bringing with it snow, ice and rain along with hazardous travel conditions and flight cancellations. The National Weather Service said Thursday morning the storm was impacting much of the Great Lakes,

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.

Thursday's snow totals could reach up to 4 inches, with the next storm this weekend likely to dump plowable snow across the state, according to forecasters.