Light snow to coat Great Lakes to Northeast

A weak storm system set to collide with the cold air in place across the Great Lakes and Northeast will set the stage for a round of light snow this weekend.

Small accumulations of snow may seem trivial to those left to dig out from feet of snow behind the monstrous nor'easter at midweek, but forecasters caution that all it takes is a light coating of snow to create treacherous travel conditions.

The storm system will be starved for moisture, at least on its northern end, which will mean that heavy snowfall and significant accumulations are unlikely. The southern, secondary piece of the storm will be in close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and its ample moisture, resulting in more widespread steady precipitation, in the form of rain, across the South this weekend.

The AccuWeather Radar page showed a mix of rain and snow moving across the Great Lakes at midday Saturday.

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"This weak system will be more of a nuisance this weekend but can make for slippery roads during the evening and overnight hours and slow travel down a bit with a coating to an inch of snow in some places," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

Snow first broke out across the northern tier of Minnesota on Friday morning and early afternoon, and left behind a fresh 1-3 inches.

During late Friday night, snow showers and flurries reached Wisconsin and the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. By Saturday morning, light snow had reached Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Traverse City and Grand Rapids, Michigan. With temperatures hovering around or just above freezing, most surfaces did not see much or any accumulation.

The track of the storm system will favor more of a mix of rain and snow as well moving forward through the day Saturday, including around the Detroit metro area. The greatest risk for a slippery covering of snow will be in higher elevations in northern Michigan.

"The central Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and New England will be in for another dose of light snow during Sunday and Sunday night," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

A light accumulation of snow is possible from near Pittsburgh and State College, Pennsylvania, to Binghamton, Syracuse and Albany, New York, and Burlington, Vermont.

In these areas where massive snow piles remain from the nor'easter, the covering of fresh snow could conceal layers of black ice that develop on roads and sidewalks from the melting and re-freezing cycles over the next few days.

Spotty rain showers or a mixture of rain and snow are forecast for the major Interstate 95 cities of the Northeast to end the weekend.

Yet another small weather troublemaker may sweep southeastward through the Midwest and into the mid-Atlantic early next week, bringing an additional bout of snowfall.

AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the potential for a more disruptive storm to arrive in the East around Christmas.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.