At least six inches of snow expected to blanket area by Monday morning



New Yorkers traveling in the area on Christmas Day won't be hampered by wintry weather, but Monday's commute looks like it'll be far more difficult than usual -- and not just because we're coming off a holiday weekend.

The weather service was forecasting possible snow for the tri-state area, starting Sunday and continuing into Sunday night, with overnight temperatures in the 20s and wind gusts up to 30 mph.

The heaviest snow is expected to fall late Sunday through early Monday.

NBCNewYork meteorologist Raphael Miranda says six to 10 inches of snow could blanket the ground by the time commuters wake up for work Monday morning, making for a treacherous, frigid return from the holidays. Up to a foot of snow is possible in some areas -- an unwelcome post-Christmas gift for those who have to dig out.

Virtually all of New York, with the exception of Sullivan County, is under a winter storm watch from Sunday afternoon until 1 p.m. Monday. The advisory was spurred by a developing storm system that's expected to intensify by Saturday night and then move northeast on Sunday to the mid-Atlantic region.

The National Weather Service urges drivers to proceed carefully, noting that high accumulations of snow on the roads will make it difficult to see and strong winds will make driving hazardous as well. The strongest winds will be across New York City and near the coast.

The weather did not cause big problems for the airlines Friday, but Delta Air Lines spokesman Morgan Durrant said 500 weather-related flight cancellations were planned for Saturday nationwide. That included 300 of the 800 scheduled departures from the Atlanta hub. Durrant said those affected had been notified.