AccuWeather.com

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

Feb 9, 2012; 5:45 AM ET

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Concerns continue for other than just a simple brisk and cold weekend in New England and the mid-Atlantic.

As cold air begins a push into the Northeast this weekend, the more-likely scenario brings just windblown flurries, while options bring a few inches of snow to an all-out snowstorm to some locations.

If this were any other winter, warnings of a potential major snowstorm would be in the headlines for this weekend in portions of New England and the mid-Atlantic. Granted, with cold air and snow making such infrequent visits to many areas this winter, it is tough to make an argument for "major" snow.

However, there is a possibility that cold air will hit a disturbance along the coast at just the right time to cause a storm to spin up rapidly and unload heavy snow in part of the region Saturday into Saturday night.

We want to stress that by no means is the storm a certainty, but we are rather just pointing out the potential for a rapidly-evolving snow event.

Areas in Cape Cod, the Maritimes and Newfoundland have a better chance of accumulating snow in this storm scenario as the feature is more likely to take a left turn later rather than sooner.

Another scenario, is that a band of steady snow may run eastward from Pennsylvania and northern Maryland to New Jersey the New York Metro area, Long Island and southern New England. This too is a matter of timing with the arrival of cold air and an upper level disturbance. Resorts in the Poconos, Catskills and Berkshires would more than welcome a few inches, where so very little snow has fallen thus far this winter.

This band of snow scenario would be in addition to a little accumulating snow in some of the upslope areas of northern and western New York, western Pennsylvania, western Maryland and the West Virginia mountains, which is likely to occur as Arctic air drives in, in spite of the other options.

Due to the different possible scenarios, the details of the local weekend forecasts are far from a lock at this point and could change if the band of snow or the snowstorm scenario takes the lead.

Regardless this weekend, for one in only a few times this winter, it will feel cold over New England, the mid-Atlantic and the eastern Great Lakes area with snow in the air.

In the meantime, watch for slippery spots in the mid-Atlantic tonight after the nuisance snow and rain departs.