Vigilance and preparation are important, say forecasters at the NWS, as wintery weather brings hazardous travel conditions.

The West will deal with rain on the first day of winter, the East and Great Lakes will get snow and cold, with very cold wind chills in the Northeast.

A fast-moving clipper system will bring the possibility of a brief period of rain, snow, and freezing rain to the Washington, D.C. region on Tuesday morning. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued from 5 a.

Winter weather advisories were in place for at least 14 states across the U.S. from the National Weather Service (NWS) early on Tuesday, with up to 18 inches of snow forecast for parts of the country.