A fast-moving winter storm brought snow, ice, strong winds and bitter cold to much of the upper Midwest, snarling traffic in the Twin Cities and forcing the North Dakota officials to shut down an interstate highway.

The wintry weather comes as a storm moves eastward from the middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys to the East Coast Thursday, the service reported. The storm has prompted both winter weather warnings and advisories in several Wisconsin counties including Waushara, Manitowoc, Door and Kewaunee.

A Weather Alert has gone into effect for periods of snow overnight into Friday morning dropping visibility and making roadways slick.A compact storm is moving through the area, generating periods of snow that will peak between 4 a.

Snow showers moved into the area Thursday night, and a second wave of snow is forecast for Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.

National Weather Service officials are expecting a clipper system moving into the Upper Midwest to bring at least 1 to 3 inches of snow Thursday afternoon in the Great Lakes region. Officials said there is a 40% chance of snow in portions of north-central and northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.