By Mark LaFlamme,Staff Writer

The good news is that most of the state can expect snow for Christmas. The bad news: it will probably be nasty driving and bitter cold in the meantime.

A winter storm warning was in effect for this morning as up to 8 inches of snow is expected to be topped by ice and rain by the end of the day.

“It’s going to be treacherous out on the roads,” said Jim Hayes, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray. “Travel will be a little tough.”

The first part of the day should see heavy snowfall that will continue into late morning.

The snowstorm will intensify before changing to sleet and freezing rain.

“It’s going to come down pretty hard,” Hayes said. “And then, we’ll get a coating of ice on top of the snow.”

Hayes expects the snow to keep falling between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., which may cause havoc for morning and afternoon commutes.

The storm should be over by late afternoon. In the meantime, police were reminding people to adjust their driving habits to accommodate for slick conditions and poor visibility.

In most parts of the state last Friday, there were fewer crashes than expected when a storm dumped snow on the region.

Hayes said nobody should be surprised that snow will be falling. It is mid-December, he pointed out, and time to start looking for the first big storm of the year.

“‘Tis the season,” Hayes said.

Once the snowstorm has passed, weather forecasters expect the air to turn cold again and the frigid temperatures may linger. The cold should ensure that the snow cover sticks around into next week.

“It certainly looks like we’ll have a white Christmas,” Hayes said.

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