This winter's first significant snowfall could be coming this weekend, National Weather Service Meteorologist Bill Abeling said. From sunrise today to sunrise Sunday, 1 to 3 inches of snow could fall on Bismarck.

The storm coming in likely will hit South Dakota harder than North Dakota, but southeast parts of North Dakota also could see 5 to 6 inches of snow. Northern parts of the state, such as Minot and Williston, are predicted to receive only a dusting of snow, Abeling said.

He said snow coming out of the storm should be light and fluffy, and he doesn't foresee any freezing rain or sleet. However, the fluffy snow could lead to a snow and blowing snow advisory for areas south of Interstate 94 and east of Highway 83 this afternoon.

Anyone headed in the directions of Minneapolis, Wisconsin or Iowa should be prepared for the possibility of a more significant winter storm with freezing rain, sleet and heavy snow, Abeling said.

Temperatures today and Sunday will stay in the high teens to low 20s. Abeling said highs across the state will be in the 20s or 30s Monday, while southwest North Dakota could reach 40 degrees on Tuesday. The Bismarck area likely will be in the mid-30s on Tuesday, he said.

After the brief warm up, a new system is expected to push the temperatures back down to the teens by Wednesday and Thursday, Abeling said.

The weather service expects December, January and February to have neither above nor below average temperatures, Abeling said.