Keep those snow shovels handy! After light snow fell across Massachusetts on Thursday, the weekend is expected to bring a “more impactful” winter storm to the region.

BOSTON - Now that Thursday's snow is over, there's an excellent chance of plowable snow falling this weekend in Boston and most of Massachusetts. It could be the biggest snow storm of the season so far.

Areas west of I-495 to Pittsfield will see more snow than any other precipitation type. New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine will welcome all snow from this system.

Snow will likely arrive between 8 and 10 a.m., persisting into the afternoon before ice mixes in. A flip to mixed precipitation will follow in some areas, including pockets of rain and freezing drizzle, ending between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Much of the state could see up to 4 inches of snow.

Snow is expected to stop in Worcester and the western part of the state before 9 a.m., gradually moving out of eastern Massachusetts by noon. Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex counties in the northeast part of the state may see snow showers through 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Schools in Massachusetts started announcing closures on Wednesday ahead of a winter storm that’s expected to bring a messy mix of snow, ice, and rain to the region on Thursday.

A winter weather advisory is in effect in Massachusetts today as several inches of snow is expected to fall across the state, according to the National Weather Service's Boston office. Snow is already beginning in western Massachusetts as of 8 a.m. Thursday, and it will pick up in the eastern part of the state later this morning.

BOSTON - Snow is coming to Boston and most of Massachusetts today. This "kitchen sink" winter storm will drop a few inches of snow, a layer of icy sleet pellets and freezing rain. The WBZ weather team is continuing our NEXT Weather Alert for Thursday.

On Thursday at 2:39 p.m. a winter storm watch was issued by the National Weather Service valid from Saturday 7 p.m. until Sunday 4 p.m. for Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties.