Good Dose of Snow Possible This Weekend

And a winter weather advisory is in effect for counties farther to the south and west, including Cumberland, Hoke, Harnett and Wayne, Sampson and Moore counties.

The combination of cold air from the north and an upper-level disturbance tapping into moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, though, will likely bring rain early Saturday morning, turn into snow by the late afternoon and continue falling until late Saturday night, according to WRAL's latest WeatherScope computer model.

But WeatherScope continued a trend Friday night of pushing the highest snowfall totals to the south and east, diminishing snowfall amounts in the Triangle area from 2 to 4 inches projected earlier Friday to 1 to 3 inches.

"If that trend were to continue, then Raleigh could end up not getting a whole lot," Fishel said. "But I really think we're going to get at least an inch or two of snow in the Triangle, no matter how this turns out."

Temperatures Saturday are forecast to reach the mid- to upper 30s and are expected fall below freezing as evening approaches and fall into the low to mid-20s before daybreak Sunday.

After initially melting, snow is forecast to begin to accumulate on most surfaces Saturday afternoon. Temperatures Sunday are not expected to warm much above freezing, which could mean slick spots on the roads through early Monday morning.

State Department of Transportation crews went out on major roads Friday to lay down salt brine that discourages ice formation on pavement, and crews checked their plowing equipment and made some runs to get familiar with roads they would be assigned to plow.

WRAL meteorologists said they did not expect freezing rain or sleet with this storm, which means power outages, if any, should be isolated.