NEW YORK — Snow showers could kick off a stretch of wet weather that's expected to soak New York City into the weekend, the National Weather Service says. A slight chance of falling flakes will loom from 6 to 11 a.m. Thursday joined by the possibility of rain, the forecast shows.

"Little, if any" accumulation is expected, and the snow will mix with rain before the rain takes over on its own, the weather service says. The wintry weather could precede a wetter storm set to hit the city starting at the end of the week, according to the weather service. Rain will loom Friday afternoon into Sunday, with at least an inch possibly hitting Central Park in that time, the forecast shows.

The showers are expected to coincide with warmer temperatures — the mercury will hit a high near 51 degrees on Saturday, well above Wednesday's expected high near 40, the weather service says. Here's a closer look at what to expect from the weather in the next several days, courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 40. Wind chill values between 25 and 35. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Wednesday Night

Increasing clouds, with a low around 31. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east after midnight.

Thursday

A slight chance of snow showers before 9am, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 9am and noon, then a slight chance of rain showers after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Wind chill values between 30 and 35. East wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday Night

Patchy drizzle before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. East wind 6 to 10 mph.

Friday

A 20 percent chance of rain after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 48. East wind 6 to 8 mph. Friday Night

Rain likely, mainly after 9pm. Cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.