A powerful winter storm system that could leave a dozen inches of snow behind has been forecast for Nebraska and portions of adjacent states.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for most of Nebraska, southeast Wyoming, northeast Colorado, northwest Kansas and western Iowa.

A blizzard warning has been issued for several counties in west-central Nebraska, starting Friday afternoon.

The service says the storm is expected to move into Nebraska late Thursday night and last into Saturday.

Rain is expected to precede the snowfall in many areas.