A powerful storm system packing snow, ice, and heavy rain is bearing down on the Tri-state region, bringing a barrage of severe weather notices with it. Flood watches, winter weather advisories and warnings, and even ice storm warnings have been issued across the region. All watches go into effect around 6:00AM EST Thursday and will stay live until late Thursday night or early Friday morning.  For the New York metropolitan area, the system will likely bring only rain, but it should dump plenty of it.

The northern suburbs, however, could see the precipitation fall in the form of ice and snow.

As of Wednesday at 6:00PM EST, Meteorologists for WCBSTV are predicting the following:

A flood watch will kick into effect at 6 a.m. for the entire area including southern Connecticut counties and northern and central New Jersey counties.

Some area could see between 3 to 4 inches fall by the time the storm exits the area Friday morning. The highest amounts at this time are expected to be across southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island.

Meanwhile, a winter weather advisory begins at 6 a.m. for Westchester and Rockland counties in New York, Bergen and eastern Passaic counties in New Jersey, and northern New Haven and southern Fairfield counties in Connecticut until 6 a.m. Friday.

For those area, A wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet is expected to develop across the area Thursday morning. Temperatures may warm just above freezing during the afternoon Thursday, changing precipitation over to plain rain. However, colder air will return Thursday night with a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Between 1/10 and 1/4 inch of ice and sleet accumulation is expected by Friday morning.

A winter storm warning will be in effect for the same duration of time in Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, and Delaware counties in New York, Sussex and western Passaic counties in New Jersey, and northern Fairfield Couny in Connecticut. The National Weather Service says a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain will develop Thursday morning and continue through Thursday night. Snow may also mix in late Thursday night, but freezing rain and sleet are expected to be the primary precipitation types. Between 1/2 and 1 inch of ice accumulation is expected by Friday morning.

Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia counties in New York will be under an ice storm warning from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday. A mix of sleet and freezing rain will start Thursday morning becoming heavier in intensity Thursday afternoon and evening. There could be some plain rain mixed in during the daylight hours on Thursday across some of the warmer valley locations, although most areas will experience entirely frozen precipitation for the duration of the storm. Freezing rain may be heavy at times and will fall across the warning area Thursday night into Friday morning. This is the time period when the most significant icing will occur.

(Source: CBS2 HD / WCBSTV)