MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Picture this: There are several inches of snow on the ground, ice on the roads, and the Mid-South is shut down. But now imagine you’re in Minnesota. Those conditions are a typical January day.  So to account for this, the National Weather Service has different criteria for winter weather advisories depending on where you live. Winter Storm: Several inches of snow Friday, dangerous travel conditions Todd Beale from the National Weather Service in Memphis says it only takes 2-3 inches of snow to issue a winter storm warning in the Mid-South. But in Minnesota for example, it takes 6 inches of snow or more to issue the same warning. “Places farther north deal with snow all the time and 2 inches of snowfall up north is a lot different than 2 inches of snowfall here in the south so we have that lower criteria because we’ll see more impacts across our area especially when it comes to travel and disruptions to daily life," said Beale. And the same goes for heat products. “Our heat products across the nation are quite different, just like our winter weather products. A 100-degree temperature in Chicago is quite different than a 100-degree temperature in Memphis,” said John Sirmonand, Lead Meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Memphis. Winter storm warnings are in place across the Mid-South for Friday’s snowstorm, as the region braces for 5-7 inches of snow.  “Things will really start to go downhill overnight Thursday into Friday morning. We'll probably wake up Friday morning to snowfall across the area. The Friday morning commute is gonna be pretty dangerous so if you don’t have to travel we want folks to stay at home and avoid the roads if possible," Beale said. Download the WREG Weather APP, and watch for updates on air and online as this inconvenient and disruptive weather arrives in the Mid-South. Check the latest forecasts from WREG Weather