Ice storm takes aim at Midwest and Northeast. Here’s the forecast.

A winter storm could bring sleet and freezing rain to the Midwest and Northeast late this week, potentially causing treacherous travel conditions and power outages for millions of Americans from Minnesota to Maine, forecasters say.

According to AccuWeather, warm, humid air from the south will collide with arctic air from the north as a low-pressure system moves east — atmospheric ingredients that could trigger accumulating snow and dangerous ice along its northern edge.

“As the mild air mass clashes with frigid air farther north, the ingredients for a major ice storm are expected to be in place beginning Wednesday across a zone spanning from the Midwest to the Great Lakes,” AccuWeather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham warned.

The system will then move east, bringing snow and ice to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast by Thursday.

How much ice and snow is expected?

Up to a quarter inch or more of ice is possible in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, AccuWeather reported. And up to a half inch is possible for parts of the central Appalachians north through Pennsylvania and southern New York.

One to three inches of snow is expected in parts of northeastern Pennsylvania, eastern New York, northern Connecticut, western and central Massachusetts, as well as Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, per AccuWeather, with up to 6 inches or more possible in higher elevations.

What makes ice storms so dangerous?

Ice accumulation could make for hazardous road conditions for those in the storm’s path, which include large portions of Interstates 80 and 94.

For cities along the I-95 corridor, including Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, a briefer period of icing is expected before a changeover to rain.

The same areas of the Midwest and Northeast could face power outages as the ice and freezing rain will be followed by cold, gusty winds behind the storm.

Wind gusts of 40-50 mph are expected across the Great Lakes on Thursday, and gusts in excess of 30 mph are possible across the Northeast Friday.

“A light glaze of ice can create treacherous driving conditions on bridges, highways and ramps in a matter of seconds,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter explained. “A half inch of ice accumulation can add 500 pounds of extra weight or more to power lines. Tree branches coated in ice can snap and fall on power lines.”

Stormy start to February

The ice storm is just the start of what forecasters say could be a stormy February for much of the same region.

Behind this system is a second winter storm that could bring snow and ice from the upper Midwest and Great Lakes to parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast beginning on Saturday.

A third storm is possible early next week, AccuWeather said, with “the potential of colder air and more moisture that could bring snow and icy impacts to a larger area.”

And February is historically the month with the most snowstorms in the Northeast. According to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, more “high-impact” snow storms occur in February than in any other month.