A plowable snow - the first of its kind in our area in nearly two winters - is expected Saturday night into Sunday.

A cross-country storm is moving through the Southern Rockies today and will reach the Southeast by Friday, said Tyler Roys, a senior meteorologist from AccuWeather.

Roys said that for our region, the precipitation probably will move in once the sun has set anytime after 4 p.m. Saturday, with increasing clouds during the day and a high in the mid-30s.

“Really, the bulk of this is Saturday night and into Sunday morning,” said Roys, who added we’re looking at between a six- to 12-hour period of snowfall. “(It looks like) a plowable snow, with a very good possibility of 6 inches or more of snow.”

Roys added that if the snow takes a more southern track, then the chances of 6 inches or more of snow decreases.

“Right now, there’s a decent shot (for a) plowable snow,” he said. “Six inches, there’s a good chance of that.”

Roys said that the temperature is expected to drop down to around 30 degrees Saturday night, before rebounding to 33-35 for a high on Sunday.

“What this does mean is the snow is going to be a wet, heavy snow, so (you’re going) to need to use more of your legs (to shovel) with that aspect,” he said. “Given how infrequent it has snowed in the last couple of years, it’s a chance for people to check their snowblowers; make sure they’re operational, check that (there’s) enough gas for the snowblower.”

Roys said they are also watching for another storm on the heels of this weekend’s storm that could arrive early to midweek next week that would move across the Midwest.

“This would mean we would be on the warm side; early indications show it could start off as a wintry mix before going into rain,” he said. “The ground is very saturated, so any snow this weekend is going to melt; the threat for flooding increases, which is something we’re looking into next week.”

For area ski resorts such as Blue Mountain Resort, the snowfall would be a welcome sight, said Ashley Seier, director of marketing.

“We are keeping a close eye on the weather as Mother Nature is expected to bring significant snowfall this weekend - perhaps up to 11 inches of snow from various reports,” Seier said. “While Blue Mountain Resort’s snow-making system - one of the largest in the country - has been able to provide open terrain for skiers and snow tubers this season, it will certainly be a treat to have much more natural snowfall.”

The resort was busy on social media Tuesday. “We can’t keep our eyes off the Winter storm heading our way this weekend! The Weather Channel is currently calling for 1-3 inches during the day and 5-8 inches at night for Palmerton,” the resort posted and asked people to post their guesses for snow totals.

?Guesstimates ranged from rain to a hopeful 10-plus inches.

Either way, Blue Mountain said the snow guns will be running this weekend.