After a winter storm brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to a large swath of the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and Northeast this week, another one is on the way. Forecasters say the latest system is expected to sweep across the northern part of the country this weekend,

The second of five storms that will slam the eastern half of the United States with snow and ice over a two week period is on the way – and this one has more snow than the first.

Snow, rain and icy conditions will spread across the Midwest and Northeast thanks to a storm that drenched northern California.

Snow totals varied across the state, with accumulations approaching as high as 2.5 inches along and north of Route 2, forecasters said.

The majority of the snow accumulation in Massachusetts will occur between late Saturday night and early Sunday.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for all of Massachusetts due to the potential for more than a half foot of snow across the region this weekend. Boston 25 Meteorologist Shiri Spear has us on a Weather Alert for Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Snow is already beginning in western Massachusetts as of 8 a.m. Thursday, and it will pick up in the eastern part of the state later this morning. The system is expected to turn into freezing rain this afternoon before tapering off in the evening hours,