This ain't snow joke: Get ready for the motherlode

ROCHESTER - After a couple of recent snowstorm forecasts fell short on accumulations, Northern Seacoast residents might be a little complacent regarding yet another predicted snowmageddon event.

But this is no snowjob.

As is often the case with nor'easters, the Greater Rochester area is right on the line that demarcates between maximum snowfalls of 12-18 inches and 6-12 inches.

Some areas could get more, according to Accuweather meteorologists, with coastal areas seeing the fastest accumulations, often 1-2 inches an an hour, while inland regions will see a longer duration of lighter snow.

Today will begin with some sun and clouds before becoming overcast in the early afternoon prior to the start of snow around 3 p.m.

Snow will continue off and on overnight and continue through midafternoon on Tuesday.

Winds could also play a major role with gusts up to 50 mph expected along the coast and as far inland as the Rochester area.

Eversource NH announced on Sunday they would have some 400 workers ready to go should there be any power disruptions.

The storm is actually a combination of two separate fronts: one out of the Midwest and another that took shape off the Virginia coast.

"The coastal storm will then become the dominant storm of the two, strengthening into a full-blown nor'easter along the Atlantic coast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Danny Pydynowski said.

As the two storms interact with one another, a broad area of snow will stretch from the Ohio Valley and southern Appalachians to the mid-Atlantic and New England. You might call it a super spreader.

Snowfall rates will be much heavier near the coast, closer to the center of the powerful nor'easter. Snowfall rates could reach 1-2 inches per hour along the I-95 corridor through New England. There could also even be the chance for some thundersnow.

The only question left unanswered is, "Will the groundhog see his shadow or not tomorrow, or will the little feller simply be buried?"