Winter will continue to hold its ground this weekend before the official arrival of spring with snow and areas of slippery travel returning to parts of the northeastern United States.

A repeat of the Blizzard of 2017 will not occur. However, enough snow can fall to create slick spots and hinder blizzard recovery efforts.

Two separate bands of snow and rain will continue to swept across the mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Saturday night.

Ahead of the snow, a band of thunderstorms rumbled across Virginia and the Carolinas. Over 40 hail events resulted from the storms, though no damage was reported.

The snow is expected to leave a slushy coating to 2 inches. The highest amounts will fall on non-paved and elevated surfaces, but slick travel can still pose risks to motorists in some communities.

During the daylight hours, the snow will have trouble sticking to paved surfaces due to the stronger March sun outside of any heavier bursts of snow.

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There are two key areas of concern where a couple inches of snowfall can make for slippery travel.

One band of snow that led to slick roads in southeastern Michigan on Saturday morning re-intensified across south-central Pennsylvania on Saturday evening before dropping southward into northern Virginia overnight.

While there was rain at the its onset, portions of I-99, I-81, I-70 and I-270 turned slushy for a time. This included Johnstown and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Frederick, Maryland; Martinsburg, West Virginia; and Winchester, Virginia.

“The snow can leave a slushy coating on grassy areas as as temperatures will remain above freezing, but in the northwest suburbs, there can be up to an inch or so of accumulation," AccuWeather Meteorologist Steve Travis said.

Only if the snow falls heavier than expected would roads become slushy in the district.

Wet snow can mix with rain southward to Richmond, Virginia, into early Sunday morning.

Where the snow does not create travel problems, residents should get their cameras ready. A gorgeous winter wonderland scene will result as the wet nature of the snow will allow it to cling to everything.

As the storm strengthened offshore, a separate area of steadier snow unfolded from eastern Long Island to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Saturday night.

A couple inches of snow accumulated as a result in these areas.

Increasingly windy conditions will accompany the snow in southeastern New England, whipping the snow around and further reducing visibility for motorists.

Seas will build as the winds strengthen, creating hazards for those with shipping interests.

The two snow zones will bypass New York City, Philadelphia and Boston, limiting travel disruptions.

“While there can be a bit of snow at times , the New York City and Philadelphia areas will escape with little to no accumulation, with no travel problems expected,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson said.

The snow in southeastern New England will taper off for Sunday afternoon as high pressure brings the weekend to an end on a dry note across the rest of the Northeast.

Brutal cold will not follow immediately in the wake of the storm.

Temperatures on Sunday will instead rebound back to near 40 F in southern New England to the lower 50s in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Those heading to Washington, D.C., for the National Cherry Blossom Festival will enjoy the return of some sunshine on Sunday afternoon.

The opening date of the renowned festival was pushed back from Wednesday, March 15, “due to setup delays caused by the storm,” organizers announced on Twitter.

The milder temperatures will quickly cause the snow from earlier this weekend to start to melt. However, residents should then watch for areas of re-freeze on untreated surfaces at night.

Another blast of cold air will not be far behind.

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