Temperatures continue to drop across much of the forecast area, and Thursday ended up a few degrees warmer than forecast with some more clearing than expected as well. The sun was out for a few hours today, but mid and high clouds have since moved in and will lower and thicken over the next few hours. A storm system approaching from the west will begin to spread snow over the area by later tonight into Friday morning. A coastal storm system is then forecast to develop off the New Jersey coast ( a bit closer to the coast than models were indicating yesterday) and the snow will become moderate to heavy in spots. The low will be quick moving, but a few hours of moderate snow are likely...even during the Friday morning commute. In general, we are expecting 3 to 6 inches of snow across the forecast area..although some higher amounts could be possible...probably in Northern NJ or Northern CT where higher snow ratios could be observed with moderate precipitation amounts. The snow is forecast to wrap up by later morning to early afternoon Friday from west to east. Stay tuned here throughout the night for constant blog posts and updates regarding the storm. Also, please note that we have upgraded the Snow Bulletins to Winter Storm Advisories, which are in effect through 5:00pm Friday evening. Featured image: Latest storm total snowfall forecast from our forecasting team for the upcoming snowstorm.

Tonight (Thursday Night): Snow, which may be moderate to heavy at times after 10pm. Low near 26. Winds becoming east and northeast at 5 to 10 miles per hour. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches.

Friday: Snow early, then light snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. West northwest winds to 10 miles per hour. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Total snow accumulation of 3 to 6 inches.

Need more? See New York Metro Weather's Long Range Forecast for the end of the week and weekend, or view our Technical Forecast Discussion for the more serious weather enthusiasts. For up to the minute details on forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Article by John Homenuk. 4:57pm January 20th, 2011.