Winter storm Nemo is expected to strike the northeast with anywhere from 6 inches of snow to a maximum of two feet in some places from Thursday through Saturday. The nor'easter is expected to land in the Upper Midwest and the northern Great Lakes Thursday, and move towards the northeast and New England during the weekend.

Winter storm Nemo will bring the heaviest precipitation to the Hartford, Conn. area, with nearly hurricane-force winds sweeping all the way up the coast to Portland, Maine. Downed power lines, widespread blackouts, and inaccessible roads are all possibilities with a storm of this magnitude.

"There would be widespread power outages with winds of this force," Weather.com stated.

It isn't a foregone conclusion that Nemo will bring snow, though. Instead of blizzard snowfall, warmer temperatures during Friday and early Saturday could mean heavy rains. A clipper storm from the north is combining with another rainy storm coming from the south, so weather services are currently unable to predict with certainty the outcome.

What people can do is be prepared, which is the reason the Weather Channel began naming winter storms in addition to hurricanes. Nemo means "from the valley" in Greek and "nobody" in Latin, according to the Winter Storm Team of weather.com, who named the nor'easter.

"The fact is, a storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation," said Bryan Norcross of the Weather Channel.

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Part of preparedness means getting a snowblower and generator, which can run anywhere from $2,000 to $3,500 for both machines.

Airlines have already started planning for winter storm Nemo. Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue, US Airways, and American Airlines are offering customers the ability to change their flights once without fees. Southwest Airlines stated that their flights could be delayed diverted or canceled from Thursday, Feb. 7 to Saturday, Feb. 9.