On Thursday night we’ll get a preview of a bigger storm expected for the weekend.

“Fast movement of the storm from Thursday to Friday should limit the accumulations to a few inches in the snowfall area,” according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

While enough snow may fall to cause school delays, dismissals and closures, it will be more on the nuisance end of the spectrum for winter storms.

Cities from Buffalo, New York, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Boston and Caribou, Maine, can expect all or mostly snow and slippery travel from this storm.

A wintry mix with slippery spots on the roads is likely around New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

More snow is likely this weekend as a larger, more potent storm takes shape following the storm late this week.

The storm coming this weekend has the potential to put down close to a foot of snow over a long swath in the Midwest and Northeast with the worst conditions likely from I-80 on north, but perhaps as far south as portions of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Then the area will be gripped by cold temperatures.

“In the wake of the weekend storm, much colder, Arctic air is projected to plunge southward across the eastern half of the nation and reach the Gulf Coast states with freezing temperatures,” Paul Pastelok said.

The coldest weather of the winter so far will blast into the region on Sunday and Monday and is likely to be quite a shock. Slush and wet areas will rapidly freeze, so quick removal of fallen snow is encouraged.

People who have been saving money on heat during the first part of this winter may see that savings wiped out in the upcoming pattern, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

Here’s the latest from the National Weather Service:

Today: Occasional flurries after noon. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Tonight: Occasional flurries between 11 p.m. and midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 18. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 30. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday Night: Snow. Low around 24. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Friday: A chance of snow before 10 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Saturday: Snow after 1 p.m. High near 34. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.

Saturday Night: Snow before 1 a.m., then freezing rain and sleet. Low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Sunday: Snow before 10 a.m., then snow and sleet between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., then snow after 1 p.m. High near 36. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 2.

M.L. King Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 14.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 8.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 25.