It's snow joke: it appears the metropolitan area will escape the worst of the wintry mix headed toward the region.

The National Weather Service said rain will pick up Thursday night and turn to snow overnight, before changing back to rain on Friday morning.

Forecasters don't expect any accumulation from the mix. "It's mainly going to be, you know, a nuisance where you could see some snow mixed in with the rain," said meteorologist David Stark.

But areas north and west of the city won't be so lucky. Stark said Putnam and Orange counties are under a winter storm warning from midnight to noon on Friday, with "the potential for four to eight inches of snow, very heavy wet snow." He warned that the snow could make travel conditions dangerous in the morning.

The National Weather Service has also issued a winter storm advisory for Rockland County and northern Westchester, where between two and four inches of snow could accumulate.