A winter storm is bringing a snowy start to the day across the mid-Atlantic, with nearly all of Virginia waking up to accumulating snow and major cities such as Richmond and Washington, D.C., seeing their first snowflakes of the season.

In the nation’s capital, only flurries have reached the ground so far, but up to an inch of snow is possible before the system moves out Friday afternoon. Richmond could see 1 to 3 inches.

Farther north, Portland, Maine, set a daily low temperature record after dropping to at least 3 degrees, with even colder temperatures possible. Chicago reached only 10 degrees — its coldest temperature since Feb. 20 — though it is beginning to warm as the frigid air shifts east.

Wind chills are also a factor across the Midwest and Northeast as Buffalo and Boston are both below zero Friday morning, and New York City is waking up to wind chills in the teens.

Arctic air is also expected to bring renewed cold to Minneapolis, where wind chills will drop each day through the weekend and high temperatures are forecast to barely rise above zero on Sunday.

Next week, another blast of cold air is expected to keep the Midwest and Northeast well below zero, which is a pattern that should stick around through much of December.

Meanwhile, the Rockies from Idaho to Colorado are expected to see significant snowfall through the weekend, with higher elevations receiving more than a foot and some areas topping 2 feet between Friday and Sunday morning.

A fast-moving storm is also expected to sweep through the Dakotas and Nebraska, bringing a light coating of snow. By the time it reaches Iowa on Friday afternoon, snowfall totals could increase to 3 to 7 inches as the system strengthens and spreads.