Update, posted at 4:35 pm on Feb. 6:

The National Weather Service out of Taunton has issued a winter storm watch, effective late Thursday night through Saturday afternoon, for Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts.

The watch states there is a "very high confidence in over six inches of snow" with a "potential for a foot or more." 

Light snow will start Friday morning and increase with intensity as the afternoon unfolds. Forecasters warn there may be a brief period of rain, but conditions will turn back to heavy snow before nighttime. Snowfall is expected to be heavy, with two to three inches of snow possible per hour – making travel "nearly impossible." 

The storm should taper off by Saturday morning.

Keep an eye on updated weather conditions with the Bristol-Warren Patch Weather Page.

Original article, posted at 8:22 am on Feb. 6:

Local and national forecasters agree on one thing, at least — there's the potential for a major winter storm Friday night into Saturday.

But whether Bristol and Warren get the foot-plus being predicted in some places, or get a just dusting, remains the topic of widely-varying speculation.

Of course, talk of snow during the 35th anniversary of the Blizzard of '78 could also inflate expectations.

As of 8:20 am Wednesday, the three Rhode Island TV stations had somewhat different takes on the approaching storm.

WPRI 12's Tony Petrarca wrote on his Weather Blog that he expects the snow to start Friday morning and last into Saturday, but added that "it's difficult at this point to get to detailed" about what kind or amount of precipitation to expect.

Mark Searles, meteorologist for NBC10, wrote on his Twitter feed that Providence could get up to 11 in. of snow on Friday, with closer to a foot near Worcester, MA.

And at ABC6, Steve Cascione noted generally that "Where the storm stays all snow several inches are possible."

The National Weather Service issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook at about 7:15 am Wednesday, calling for "the potential for a very significant winter storm" beginning Friday morning with light snow.

At this early stage, the NWS warned, it's too early to accurately predict how much snow may fall, since the storm system could include a mix or change to rain as it moves through the area.

What do you think?

How much snow will we get this weekend?

What are you planning to do in preparation for what could be a major storm?

Do you think this is all hype?

Have your say in the comments section below.