Update: The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for much of the Southern Tier for Thursday and Friday.

Syracuse, NY – A powerful storm system will reach parched Upstate New York tonight, bringing widespread, drenching rain and some sleet to hilltops over the next few days.

One to three inches of precipitation — the combination of rain and melted snow — is expected to fall through Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. The heaviest rainfall in the Upstate is expected in the lower Hudson Valley, which has seen a small portion of normal rainfall since the summer and remains under a drought warning.

The entire state of New York is under a drought alert or alert. While this storm won’t eliminate major rain deficits in the southeastern part of the state, it will make a significant dent and reduce the threat of spreading wildfires.

There won’t be much cold air with this storm, so lower elevations like the I-90 corridor will likely only see rain. At altitudes above 300 metres, wet snow can mix with rain, especially from Thursday to Friday. The Catskills could see 6 inches or more, and most of the Southern Levels will see less than 1.5 inches.

The storm will move in after dark tonight. Syracuse could see three-quarters of an inch of rain by sunrise Thursday, as much as has fallen all month. Rain is expected Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with up to 2 inches of rain by the time the storm passes on Sunday.

The weather service has issued a winter weather advisory for Delaware and Sullivan counties, where wet snow could cause slippery driving conditions.

“The heaviest snowfall will occur at higher elevations, where 4 to 6 inches of snowfall can be expected,” the advisory said. “Snowfall will be much lower in the valleys.”