NJ Weather: Winter Storm Watch In 17 Counties For Snow

UPDATE: Snow total estimates have risen for the winter storm. Read more: Latest NJ Snow Total Estimates Rise For Winter Storm

NEW JERSEY - A winter storm watch has been issued across most of New Jersey for a snowstorm that's expected to hit the Garden State beginning on late Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for 17 New Jersey counties, saying that snow and sleet accumulations could bring anywhere from 3 to 8 inches in many parts of the state (see the expected snow totals below).

The storm could be a combined snow and ice storm, one that could knock down wires and cause power outages, according to the National Weather Service.

Here are the alerted areas:

Here are the expected snow totals for the storm:

Here's what else you should expect in impacted areas:

• WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation is possible. Total snow and sleet accumulations of 3 to 8 inches.
• WHERE...Portions of northern and northwest New Jersey and east central, northeast and southeast Pennsylvania and southwest New Jersey.
• WHEN...From late Wednesday night through Friday afternoon.
• IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute.
• ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Precipitation will begin as snow late Wednesday and on Thursday morning, with the heaviest snowfall expected Thursday morning into early Thursday afternoon.
• Sleet and/or freezing rain may then mix on Thursday evening into Thursday night. Light wintry precipitation will likely continue into the daytime hours on Friday.

The historic cross-country winter storm arrived Monday in the Northwest and was shifting toward some of the hardest-hit areas of the country, according to AccuWeather. Snow is forecast to overspread the Northeast from Wednesday night into Thursday, bringing a swath of 6-12 inches of snow from part of northeastern West Virginia through southern Maine, according to AccuWeather

Should the storm track even farther east than expected, then more snow may fall even farther to the south and east to New Jersey, according to AccuWeather. If the storm tracks a bit farther to the west, milder air may flow farther to the north along the coast with more mixed precipitation and even rain, according to AccuWeather.

Either way, expect a very snowy and difficult morning drive Thursday from the central Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic coast, according to AccuWeather.

Here is the forecast:

• Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
• Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 31. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday night: A slight chance of snow after 4 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 22. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
• Thursday: Snow before 1 p.m., then snow and sleet. High near 32. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New snow and sleet accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.
• Thursday night: Snow and/or sleet before 10 p.m., then freezing rain. Low around 31. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.2 of an inch possible. New sleet accumulation of less than a half-inch possible.
• Friday: Sleet likely before 10 a.m., then rain and snow likely between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., then a chance of snow after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.