It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like a White Christmas [POLL]

A nor'easter may be headed into the area in time for Christmas, according to the weather service.

The latest models show a storm developing in the next day or so over the mid-Atlantic coast near the Carolinas and making its way north by Friday, possibly producing a mix of rain and snow in time for Christmas eve, National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Polina said.

"The models right now tend to show it to be too warm for complete snow," he said, adding the system likely will be a wintry mix of rain and snow. "The rain and snow mix changes over to rain at least for the coast on Christmas."

For the moment, meteorologists place the chances that the wintry mix will arrive only at about 30-percent, Polina said. If the storm tracks closer to the coast, allowing for warm air, it will be mostly rain.

If the system tracks further away from the coast and allow for cold air to pour in, more snow could be expected, he said.

Either way, models show the storm may be accompanied by strong winds out of the northeast, which, if that proves true, would translate into a nor'easter.

"It definitely could be a nor'easter," Polina said.

Prior to the storm's arrival, another system also is expected to impact the area this morning into tonight, possibly bringing in freezing rain, enough to make the roadways slick but not looking potent at the moment, Polina said.

"It doesn't seem like we'll see a significant amount of ice," he said.

And the weather service currently is forecasting rain for East Haven Saturday evening, and a mix of snow and rain for Sunday.

However, due to the changing nature of weather, meteorologists continue to run models — up to four times a day — to help with their prediction, Polina said.

"People need to stay tuned in," he said.