One storm system creeping up the coast and another pushing down from Canada will join forces Friday to bury the Capital Region with snow accumulations of 9 inches or more into Friday night, the National Weather Service said.

Snow rates may exceed an inch per hour Friday evening, according to the weather service's winter storm watch advisory for the day

The projections could change, for better or worse, because the tandem storms are still hundreds of miles away. Rain, sleet or a mix could fall as well, depending on the temperature.

As of Wednesday, snow was projected to start falling around sunrise Friday, said Ian Lee, a weather service meteorologist. The heaviest snow is expected to fall in the afternoon and taper off through the night, but it could persist into Saturday morning, Lee said. Early projections show the storm being most severe east of Albany.

The highest snowfall total from a single storm this winter came just after Christmas, when a combined 7.8 inches fell in Albany on Dec. 26 and 27.

No matter how much snow falls Friday, the Capital Region will likely still be under the average total for the date. As of Wednesday, 19.7 inches of snow have fallen this season, 14 inches below the 33.7-inch average.

At this time last year, during one of the driest winters on record, just 8.2 inches of snow had been recorded in Albany. Saturday's forecast calls for a chance of snow showers. Sunday is expected to be sunny.

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