Boston and the greater Massachusetts area brace themselves for a wintry mix today, with early snowfall set to transition into sleet and potentially freezing rain as the day progresses, based on the National Weather Service's recent forecast. The weather service emphasizes a "Winter Weather Advisory" effective from 7 AM to 7 PM, predicting total snow and sleet accumulations of 1 to 4 inches, coupled with a light glaze of ice, which could complicate the morning and evening commutes for Bostonians, as per the National Weather Service.

The onslaught of weather is anticipated to initiate around 8 AM, rolling in from southwest to northeast and while the snow may be short-lived, giving way to a few hours of sleet and rain as warmer air invades the atmosphere above, CBS Boston's coverage indicates that the majority of snow accumulation should be concluded by early afternoon; travel conditions may rapidly deteriorate late Thursday morning and last through the afternoon making travel treacherous, especially north of the Massachusetts Turnpike where icy conditions are expected to persist into the evening.

Preceding the changeover, a predicted 2 to 4 inches of snow could blanket the area, creating a winter canvas that will eventually be pressed down by the subsequent layers of sleet and freezing rain, says the weather forecast from the National Weather Service. The Boston area is expected to see between 1 to 3 inches of this snowy mix, while coastal regions and the Cape and Islands may just get a coating to 1 inch due to more mixing with rain.

Looking ahead, more snow seems inevitable with at least two additional systems lining up over the coming week; WBZ's forecasters suggest a beefier bout over the weekend—the details of which will become clearer within the next day or so—with most of southern New England potentially in store for a plowable amount of snowfall that could make this weekend's storm the heaviest of the season so far, as they detailed in CBS Boston recent coverage.