ALBANY — The Capital Region could be in the path of a devastating weekend snow storm.

Or, maybe not.

The Weather Channel on Wednesday said its forecast models suggest the storm expected to hit here on Saturday and Sunday will drop between 18 inches and 2 feet of snow.

But so far, the National Weather Service is only predicting 7 inches. And that conservative prediction on Wednesday came after the weather service was initially reluctant to put a snow total on a storm that is still days away.

Meteorologist Brian Frugis of the weather service said too many unknown factors - the storm's path, how much sleet and freezing rain are mixed in - make it hard to offer a more solid prediction three days before the storm starts.

The Weather Service forecast puts Albany in the path of the most powerful part of the storm. Regions to the west and north will get snow, too, but the forecast there calls for between 8 inches and a foot of snow. The storm's path should drop snow throughout the Northeast, with parts of Maine getting up to 3 feet.

The weekend storm will follow a more modest storm that is expected to start on Thursday.

The National Weather Service is confident between 1 and 2 inches of snow will fall between Thursday and Friday.

On Wednesday, the weather service lowered the snowfall expectation for the earlier storm, though meteorologists say the timing — before, during and after Friday's morning commute — could make the drive to school and work difficult.

As for the weekend storm, the agency's meteorologists are simply predicting it will be a "significant, multi-hazard winter storm."

The amount of snowfall and impact of the storm should come down to whether a mix of sleet and freezing rain is a component of the precipitation, said Joe Cebulko, a meteorologist in the service's Albany office.

But so far, it appears that the expected temperature and weather conditions over the weekend will most likely deliver a storm that is "snow or mostly snow," he said.

"It does look like it is going to be a significant winter storm," Cebulko said.

On Wednesday, the mercury should hit nearly 40 degrees during the day before dropping into the low teens overnight.