A nor'easter packing some serious precipitation potential is inbound and could lace New Jersey with a round of wintry precipitation on Thursday, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

The storm is currently building off the coast of South Carolina, but will begin touching the southern end of New Jersey sometime late Wednesday.

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“If it starts early enough Thursday morning there could be some snow at the start even along the coast," said Lee Robertson, a meteorologist at the NWS office in Mount Holly. "The farther north one gets in northern Jersey, it's going to be a wintry mix. Snow, sleet and freezing rain are all possible during the event.”

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Early estimates from the NWS show 1½ inches of rain by the end of the day Friday for Shore locations, like Toms River and Red Bank, and an equivalent amount of precipitation at Teterboro Airport, but with about ½ inch of snow mixed in.

There are still a lot of moving parts that could affect the timing of the storm, what form the precipitation takes — snow, rain or a mix — as well as what parts of New Jersey will get the worst of it. Those answers will become clear over the next 24 hours.

Watch the video at the top of the page to see why weather forecasting in New Jersey can be so difficult.

"This could be one of those events where it's nice on the drive into work but then by the time you head home, in northern New Jersey, there could be a few inches (of snow) on the ground," Robertson said.

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Winds could cause further complications, especially along the coast. Gusts of up to 40 mph aren't out of the question, Robertson said.

AccuWeather anticipates soaking rain for most of New Jersey, with the northern half getting as much as 3 inches of the white stuff.

"During Thursday night to Friday, a greater amount of snow and some ice can be expected across parts of northern Pennsylvania, part of northern New Jersey, western and northern New York state and central and northern New England," wrote Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, in a post on their website this morning. "In some of these locations, there may not ever be a change to plain rain."

The storm could last anywhere from 12 to 18 hours in New Jersey, Robertson said.

After the wet weather departs sometime on Friday, another shot of cold air will take its place.

While the weekend looks to be a sunny one, Saturday and Sunday will both be on the cool side, according to the NWS forecast.

Expect highs in the mid 40s and lows at night that will drop below freezing.

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Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com, @russzimmer