Syracuse,

N.Y.

-- A

headed for the East Coast could drop up to a foot of snow on parts of Upstate New York Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm watches for most of Upstate New York beginning overnight Thursday and lasting all day Friday.

"Difficult travel conditions are possible, including during the morning commute on Friday," the watch said. "Gusty winds and wet heavy snow could cause tree branches to fall. Significant reductions in visibility are possible."

Five to 10 inches of snow is possible along the Lake Ontario shoreline, and up to a foot in the hills south of Syracuse.

"Total snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches, with localized amounts up to 12 inches in the higher terrain are possible" in Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison and Otsego counties, the weather service said.

Heavy snow could fall Friday in Upstate New York, particularly at higher elevations.

Forecasters say this is a tricky storm to predict, though, so stay tuned for updates as the storm gets closer.

"Forecast confidence is lower than normal as temperatures will be near the freezing mark and a wide range of snowfall totals remains possible," the weather service said.

Precipitation will start as rain Thursday night, and then turn to snow as temperatures drop overnight. That will happen more quickly at higher elevations, such as the Southern Tier and the Catskills, where the air will get colder faster. How much snow and how much rain ends up falling depends on how quickly temperatures fall below freezing.

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