A winter storm watch is usually issued when a storm system is one to two days from starting. This long lead time is used to help you get ready if you have to make travel or work changes. Eventually as the storm gets closer, the winter storm watch either turns to a winter storm warning or a winter weather advisory.

While a winter storm and ice storm are both wintertime hazards, the impacts can be very different.

National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists have issued a slew of winter weather warnings across 11 states. Here's what Indiana should expect.

A winter storm watch is in effect for Friday night through Saturday, but the winter storm warning criteria is six inches and that might not happen. "It's increasingly looking like we may be under that six-inch amount," Sundgaard said. The European model has backed off on snow potential in each of his last five or six updates. Look at this:

What's the difference between a winter storm watch, an advisory and a warning? And can they mean different things for different parts of Indiana?