A powerful storm system that brought heavy snow across parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes became a "bomb cyclone" on Monday and bore down on the East Coast Tuesday, packing more snow, frigid temperatures and high winds, forecasters said.  

A bomb cyclone is defined as a storm that rapidly intensifies, as measured by a large decrease in its atmospheric pressure over 24 hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In this case, meteorologists warned that a frigid Arctic front plunging downward into the middle of the country could clash with warm air in the South and potentially cause a range of hazardous conditions, from snowstorms to snow squalls, along with unusually cold temperatures.

Maps show the winter storm forecast

The winter storm swept across the Great Lakes and moved into the Northeast, bringing blizzard conditions, lake-enhanced snow, high winds and an icy concoction of freezing rain, CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan said.

In addition to snow throughout the region, snow squalls could impact New Year's Eve travel across the Lower Great Lakes around late Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service said. The threat then moves to the Ohio Valley and through the interior Northeast during the overnight ours, according to the NWS Weather Prediction Center.

Snow squalls are short but intense whiteout condition that creates hazardous conditions for drivers.

Metropolitan areas in the path of the storm include Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.,  Buffalo, Syracuse, New York City and Boston. Interior spots in New England should prepare for ice to accumulate, with close to 1 inch possible in certain places, forecasters said. Other areas could receive up to 2 inches of rainfall.

A surge of cold air arriving behind the cold front will allow lake-effect snowfall to pile up. Upwards of a foot of snowfall is expected downwind of Lake Erie and Ontario over the next couple of days as the cold air continues to move over the relatively warmer lakes. 

Wind alerts expired Tuesday night, but  are in effect through Thursday morning, and snow totals as high as 2 to 4 feet are possible through the week.

New York state emergency officials of snowfall rates as high as 3 inches per hour in the heaviest snowbands, with "near blizzard-like conditions" possible across parts of Wayne, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Madison counties. The Syracuse area could see whiteout conditions, officials said.

"If you're in an impacted area, please avoid all unnecessary travel, follow the direction of local authorities, and telecommute whenever possible," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a .

A wider strip of the Upper Midwest and Northeast is expected to see between 1 and 6 inches of snow, with lower snowfall totals forecast for places as far south as Kentucky and West Virginia. 

Map shows winter weather alerts and warnings

Millions were under various winter weather alerts and warnings as the storm traveled eastward on Monday, including blizzard warnings in effect for sections of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and ice storm warnings for parts of upstate New York and Vermont, according to the National Weather Service.

On Tuesday, the alerts focused on areas south and east of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, with winter storm warnings in effect for parts of western New York, including Syracuse and the area south of Buffalo.

High wind alerts were issued for more than 114 million people across the eastern U.S. as the cold front moved in.