Nor'easter brings first snow, up to 10 inches, and season's coldest air

Where the snow falls: The National Weather Service had winter weather advisories in effect Thursday morning for three areas. In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Marquette office expects additional lake-effect snow through Friday, with 3 to 8 inches over the higher elevations of Marquette and Baraga counties and up to 10 inches in rural areas north of U.S. 41 and west of Marquette County Road 510, but less than an inch near the Lake Superior shore, including the city of Marquette. The Burlington office expects 2 to 5 inches of wet snow, mainly above 1,200 feet, in western Essex County, New York, and eastern Addison and Rutland counties, Vermont, from 10 a.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday. The Albany office expects up to 3 inches, with isolated totals of 3 to 5 inches on the highest peaks, in Hamilton and northern Warren counties in New York and above 1,500 feet in Bennington and western Windham counties in Vermont, from 10 a.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday, and up to 4 inches above 1,500 feet in western Greene and Ulster counties in the Catskills from 7 p.m. Thursday to 1 p.m. Friday.

Private forecasters see higher spot totals. Fox Weather said Lake Placid, New York, could get close to a foot through Saturday, with 5 to 8 inches possible around Saranac Lake, Rutland, Vermont, and Marquette, and 5 to 8 inches from lake-effect bands near Valparaiso, Indiana, while Michigan City, about 20 miles away, may get only a coating to an inch. Burlington, Vermont, could see 1 to 3 inches, and Albany and Portland, Maine, a coating to an inch, Fox Weather said.

What it means for the big cities: Philadelphia, New York and Boston should get a cold, windy rain rather than snow, according to Fox Weather and weather.com. Weather.com said the nor'easter is not expected to be a high-impact storm: the low is not forecast to be very strong, flash flooding along I-95 is not expected to be widespread, and coastal flooding should be mostly minor at high tide. The weather service's Upton, New York, office has a coastal flood statement for southern Nassau County on Long Island for Thursday morning's high tide.

Frost and freeze farther south: Weather.com said the first freeze of the season could reach much of the Carolinas and northern and central Georgia and Alabama by the weekend, and recommended bringing sensitive potted plants indoors. Highs will be stuck in the 40s over much of the Midwest and Northeast from Friday through the weekend, it said.

Forecast at a glance (forecasts, not measured totals): Upper Peninsula, Mich., 3-10 in. (NWS); southern Adirondacks and southern Green Mountains, up to 3 in., isolated 3-5 in. on the highest peaks (NWS); Catskills, up to 4 in. above 1,500 ft (NWS); Lake Placid, N.Y., up to about 12 in. (Fox Weather); Valparaiso, Ind., 5-8 in. (Fox Weather); Philadelphia, New York City, Boston: rain, no snow expected (Fox Weather, weather.com).

What's still unknown: Weather.com said the storm is not expected to be strong, and USA Today, citing AccuWeather, said totals will depend heavily on elevation, temperatures and how hard the snow falls. Lake-effect bands are highly localized, Fox Weather noted, so one town can be buried while another 20 miles away gets a dusting.

All snow totals here are forecasts from the National Weather Service and private forecasters as of Wednesday, Nov. 11, and can change as the storm track shifts. Advisory times are Eastern.