AccuWeather.com

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

Feb 28, 2012; 12:00 PM ET

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Kids and those young at heart will have an opportunity to make snowmen across parts of the Northeast in the upcoming days. Photo submitted by AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Constantino P. on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012.

March will come in a like a lion at midweek as the Northeast once again becomes the target of disruptive snow and ice.

Not one, but two consecutive days of disruptions to travel, school and daily routines await residents of the Northeast this week.

The storm set to evolve into a blizzard across the northern Plains tonight is expected to deliver a one-two punch of snow and ice to the Northeast Wednesday into Thursday night.

Early Details on the Storm

The latest indications point to substantial snow spreading from the upper Great Lakes to upstate New York and central New England on Wednesday and Wednesday night. Boston lies within this zone.

However, even in the wintry mix zone farther south, precipitation can fall heavily for a time an will result in accumulation forecast challenges.

Rain will soak the mid-Atlantic, including from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia.

A wintry mix or a snow changing to rain scenario seems to be the most likely scenario from central Pennsylvania to southern New York and southern New England. The wintry mix would involve snow, sleet and freezing rain.

A brief period of wintry mix can occur in the northern and western suburbs of Philadelphia and within the New York metro area.

For a larger snowfall forecast map is available on AccuWeather.com's Winter Weather Site.

A small slushy accumulation to a few inches of snow are possible from western New York to east-central Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey the northern suburbs of New York City on across the South Coast of New England.

A delay in the changeover to rain by a couple of hours can result in substantially more accumulation and will depend on a mere couple of degrees not only at the surface, but up through several-thousand feet above the ground.

From later Wednesday into Thursday, the southern edge of the snow and wintry mix area will erode northward, but only to a certain point.

If the storm behaves as expected, people from Albany, N.Y. to Rutland, Vt. and Concord, N.H. could have snow up to their shins.

A very marked increase in accumulation is expected driving northward a few miles on the Thruway from New York City to Albany and on I-91 heading northward through the Connecticut River Valley.

Second Part of the Storm

More snow will stream through the Northeast Thursday into Thursday night as the main center of the storm arrives from the Midwest.

The snow during this time may take aim on New England with gusty winds threatening to whip the snow around along the coast.

Central New England should receive snow Wednesday night into Thursday regardless of which scenario pans out, likely pushing totals from this midweek event past six inches.

The impending winter storm will come after most of the Northeast enjoyed yet another early taste of spring on Monday. Temperatures soared into the 50s as far north as southern New England with Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia cracking the 60-degree mark.

Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski contributed to the content of this story.