CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A winter storm is heading towards several mid-Atlantic regions, raising concerns about potentially dangerous ice build-up that could lead to extensive power outages and interfere with travel, forecasters alerted Wednesday.

The National Weather Service has issued ice storm warnings from Wednesday afternoon until midday Thursday for parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Forecasts indicate the possibility of ice accumulations reaching up to four-tenths of an inch (1 centimeter) in some areas, which could cause significant damage to trees and power infrastructure, according to the weather service. The warning covers many higher elevation areas.

In anticipation of the storm, various public schools in certain counties opted for early dismissal on Wednesday.

With the storm’s timing, the situation for commuters on Thursday morning is particularly dire. Bridges and overpasses on untreated roads are expected to become slick and potentially dangerous due to freezing rain, forecasters advised.

Furthermore, a flood watch has been issued through Thursday morning for much of West Virginia, along with parts of northeast Kentucky and southwest Virginia, where up to 1.5 inches (nearly 4 centimeters) of rain is anticipated on already saturated ground, following earlier storms.

Before this storm moves eastward, many roads in northern Missouri were reported to be fully or partially covered in ice on Wednesday morning. Additionally, some highway sections in the Kansas City vicinity have been closed as emergency responders worked to clear a number of accidents, as reported by the state Department of Transportation. Freezing rain and icy roads also affected much of eastern Kansas, including cities like Topeka and Wichita.

In Iowa, transportation officials cautioned that freezing drizzle had already covered roads in the southeastern part of the state, with expectations that it would spread northward as the day progressed.