Tuesday's heavy snowfall led to crashes, parking bans and hundreds of closures. Now, an arctic air mass is headed for the state, bringing potentially record-setting cold Thursday and Friday.

Welcome to cwg.live, updated around-the-clock by Capital Weather Gang meteorologists. Happening now: Highs today are mainly in the mid-40s ahead of a strong cold front. Winds whip out of the northwest by later afternoon.

A winter weather advisory is in place for multiple central North Carolina counties, including Durham and Orange counties from midnight Thursday until midnight Friday. Meteorologists are expecting mixed wintry precipitation, with total snow accumulations up to 1 inch and a light glaze of ice.

Kansas Citians will want to bundle up Thursday as chilly air keeps the region colder than normal for this time of year.

The D.C. area may experience its first snow of the season Friday — at least technically. A storm system sliding across the Southeast may throw enough moisture north into cold air entrenched over the D.

A weather alert was issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 10:35 a.m. for a snow squall and winds until 5 p.m. for Franklin, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex, Hampshire, Hampden, Norfolk, Suffolk,

The agency forecast highs of 36 degrees for Perryton and Wheeler, 37 for Gruver, and 38 for several cities including Beaver, Dalhart, Dumas, and Wellington. Amarillo will see a high of 40, while Boise will see a high of 41, according to the agency.

For Taniai, protecting the Juhyo means passing their legacy to the next generation. "They are called snow monsters because nothing else looks like them," she says. "I want the world to see them, and to feel how special Japan's nature is."