The National Weather Service is watching a weather event that could make for a messy commute on Tuesday, December 17. Local businesses, organizations, et al that need to announce cancellations or postponements due to the weather are invited to contact The Newtown Bee to share that information.

Send e-mail to shannon@thebee.com.

Notices will be announced as they arrive, and will also be posted on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

As of late Monday afternoon, NWS was predicting that a “swath of wintry precipitation will affect areas from the Central Plains to the Northeast through Tuesday, with locally heavy snowfall over interior New England.”

Locally, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the majority of Connecticut. The 24-hour advisory will be in effect 6 pm Monday through 6 pm Tuesday. A small section of Litchfield County is also under a Flood Warning until 1 am Tuesday, December 17.

The advisory that includes Newtown states mixed precipitation is “expected.”

Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches and ice accumulations of one tenth to two tenths of an inch is also expected, according to the advisory. The highest snow accumulation will occur across the lower Hudson Valley and interior southwest Connecticut.

Travel impacts could include “slippery road conditions,” according to the advisory. “The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute,” it added.

Snow is expected any time now — the weather service had said as early as 4 pm Monday — before turning into snow and sleet, according to NWS. Temperatures will be as low as 29 degrees for the late afternoon-early evening hours.

The 40 percent chance of snow at 4 pm increases to 90 percent, and changing to snow/sleet, as the evening continues.

Total night-time accumulation of snow and sleet could be up to 2 inches, the weather service had posted by mid-Monday afternoon.

Tuesday has a 100 percent chance of a wintry mix, according to the weather service.

Freezing rain and sleet is expected before 7 am Tuesday, continuing for much of the day as freezing rain. A chance of freezing rain and sleet is added to the forecast around 4 pm Tuesday.

Highs on Tuesday will be around 33, with wind chill values between 25 and 30 thanks to a northeast wind of 6-9 pm.

NWS is calling for new ice accumulation of less than 0.1 of an inch, but new sleet accumulation of about an inch.

“A slight chance of freezing rain and sleet” is expected to continue from late afternoon until 8 pm Tuesday. Gradual clearing will begin after that, with the chance of precipitation dropping to 20 percent at that time.

Wednesday carries a 20 percent chance of snow showers after noon, with increasing clouds for the afternoon. The day is expected to be mostly sunny, with the 20 percent chance of snow showers continuing until 10 pm.

The sun will return on Thursday, according to the weather service. The high temperature by then will be just 23 degrees.