UPDATED: Winter Storm Coming Friday - How Much Snow will Concord Get?

Updated at 5:18 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Watch for Concord and surrounding areas from Friday night through Saturday morning.

According to the watch, "The worst of the storm will be Friday night into Saturday morning," with snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour possible. "Travel may become nearly impossible with blowing and drifting snow."

Several news outlets can agree that a minimum accumulation of 18 inches is headed this way, but the maximum accumulation numbers vary.

Here's the deal:

- WCVB is predicting 25.3 inches of snow in Boston by 11 a.m. Saturday.

- WHDH is calling for 15-20 inches of snow throughout the area that includes Lexington.

- The NWS is predicting 18-24 inches for the entire area.

We thought you should know ...

Original Story

A big winter storm is expected to hit Friday, and the question facing weather forecasters is exactly how much snow will fall on Concord and surrounding communities?

 The National Weather's latest forecast map, released at 11:31 a.m. predicts 14 to 18 inches of snow in and around Watertown during the storm.

The NWS issued a Winter Storm Watch which runs from late Thursday to early Saturday. A Winter Storm Watch is issued when 6 inches or more of snow is expected in a 12-hour period, or 8-inches or more will fall in a 24-hour period, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather service warns that "travel may become nearly impossible" at times during the storm, according to the Winter Storm Watch alert.

Snow could start falling on Thursday night or early Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service. During the day Friday, the precipitation will change from snow to rain during the day, and then back to snow, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm is actually two storms coming together, WHDH-Channel 7 meteorologist Jeremy Reiner wrote in his blog. WHDH forecasters predict 8 to 12 inches of snow will fall on and around Concord.

Follow Concord Patch for any updates about the storm and any closings caused by it.

Do you think Concord will get a heavy snowfall? Are you looking forward to a "real" snow storm or would you rather avoid it? Share in the comment section below.