INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The National Weather Service is debunking rumors circulating on social media that a winter storm could dump up to 30 inches of snow on parts of Indiana next week.

The weather service's Indianapolis bureau tweeted and posted a Facebook message Friday saying rumors that 20 to 30 inches of snow could fall on Indiana and other Midwestern states next Tuesday and Wednesday “are EXTREMELY premature & improbable.''

Weather service meteorologist Mike Ryan says the storm stories “running rampant'' on social media are unfounded and no forecast models point to anything like a 2-foot snowfall.

He says a storm expected to form Monday over the western Gulf of Mexico could bring significant snow and a wintry mix to the Ohio Valley, but it's too early to predict the accumulation amounts.