2 storms to bring some of the highest snow totals of season to major cities

Two major winter storms are bearing down on the U.S. this week and are expected to bring some of the highest snow totals of the season for cities including Chicago and Washington, D.C.

The first storm, which spans from Colorado to Delaware, will hit Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning.

By 7 a.m. ET Tuesday, heavy rain is expected from Dallas to Nashville, Tennessee, while snow will be falling from Louisville, Kentucky, to Richmond, Virginia.

The snow will arrive in D.C. by noon on Tuesday and may last for over 12 hours. Some light snow may make it as far north as Philadelphia.

Four to 6 inches of snow is possible for the D.C. and Baltimore region.

Meanwhile, the heavy rain in the South may cause flash flooding.

By the time that first storm leaves the East Coast, the second storm will have already started in the Midwest.

At 7 a.m. ET Wednesday, widespread snow is expected from Colorado to Iowa to Missouri, while heavy rain will be falling from Houston to Louisiana.

In Chicago, the snow will begin around 9 a.m. Wednesday and may last for over 12 hours. Five to 9 inches of snow is possible in the Windy City.

Then, in the East, a mix of rain and freezing rain expected in D.C. and Philadelphia beginning after 5 p.m. Wednesday and continuing overnight.

In New York City and Boston, the snow is forecast to start Wednesday night and then change to rain overnight.

Both storms combined will result in hefty snow totals in the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic, and potentially flooding rain for a wide swath of the South.