Nor'easter to bring first snow of season to major East Coast cities

Cities along the East Coast are bracing for the first snowfall of the season this week.

A storm is set to develop in the Gulf Coast Wednesday and track along the East Coast on Thursday and Friday, bringing rain, freezing rain, flooding, snow and sleet throughout the South and the Northeast.

A mix of snow and ice in Mississippi on Wednesday morning caused a bus to crash in DeSoto County. Two people were killed, and 44 others were injured on the charter that was headed to a casino in Tunica, Mississippi, from Huntsville, Alabama.

The storm will gather strength Wednesday night in the eastern Gulf Coast and then bring heavy rain to Georgia and Tennessee. The Ohio Valley is expected to see snow and ice.

The storm will then move near the Southeast coast on Thursday morning, bringing heavy rain to Georgia and the Carolinas, as well as potentially dangerous flooding.

Snow, rain and freezing rain are possible further inland in the southern Appalachian Mountains and into the Ohio Valley.

By Thursday afternoon, snow is expected across the mid-Atlantic and up the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to New York City. Several hours of heavy snow are possible before the powder melts into sleet and rain.

Washington, Philadelphia and New York City are all forecasted to receive less than 1 inch of snow.

Inland areas including Pennsylvania, western New York, the Hudson Valley and New England will stay cold enough for snow, sleet and freezing rain to continue.

Boston will see 1 to 2 inches of snow, but areas west of the city could see closer to 3 inches or more.

Some areas in the Northeast and Appalachia may see more than 6 inches of snow.

But for upstate New York, the snowy season has already begun.

A lake effect snow band blew through the Albany area overnight, causing snow squalls.

The National Weather Service urged residents to be mindful on the road.