CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) – As we head toward the Christmas weekend, a strong arctic air mass will move through the region, bringing freezing rain, snow, and below-zero wind chills.

Rain is in the forecast for Thursday, and then the temperature is expected to drop dramatically Thursday evening into Friday, causing hazardous ice-covered roads across the region.

A Wind Chill Watch has also been issued for the entirety of the region and is one of our largest concerns with this system as there will be a drastic drop in temperatures along with strong wind gusts causing the wind chill (feels like temperature) to drop below zero degrees. This has the potential to cause frostbite within a matter of minutes.

A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for Tucker, and Grant counties in West Virginia as well as Garrett county, Maryland, and a Winter Weather Advisory for Eastern Preston, Eastern Randolph, Eastern Webster, Pocahontas and Pendleton counties. These alerts are for the potential for up 1-2 inches of snow accumulation along with ice accumulation of up to a quarter of an inch.

Power outages and tree damage are expected due to snow and ice. This will cause hazardous travel due to snow and ice-covered roads, mainly for the Friday morning commute and possibly the evening commute.

For those who are hoping for a white Christmas, there is definitely a chance. West Virginia is expected to get at least flakes across the state, with most of north central West Virginia forecasted to get an inch or two on Christmas Eve and Christmas, and places in the higher elevations expected to get up to six inches.

Make sure to stick with the StormTracker 12 weather team throughout the winter for the latest weather updates on wboy.com and the StormTracker 12 app, available on Android and Apple devices. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or by subscribing to our Daily Forecast newsletter!