A winter storm was sweeping across a large portion of the US on Thursday, bringing snow, ice and rain to several states in the Midwest and Northeast.

A winter weather advisory is in effect in Massachusetts today as several inches of snow is expected to fall across the state, according to the National Weather Service's Boston office. Snow is already beginning in western Massachusetts as of 8 a.m. Thursday, and it will pick up in the eastern part of the state later this morning.

Schools in Massachusetts started announcing closures on Wednesday ahead of a winter storm that’s expected to bring a messy mix of snow, ice, and rain to the region on Thursday.