Well the weather outside is going to be frightful

I have bad news. And worse news.

Welcome to the weather report.

We're going to get snow later today. By the time it's done, they're saying we could have as much as 8 inches or more on the ground, although to be honest, I still don't really trust our friendly TV folks when they try to pinpoint which areas are going to be getting the most snow.

After all, just about 24 hours ago, no one was predicting this thing to be as bad as it appears it's going to be.

That's the thing about the weather, I'm not sure you can ever be 100 percent sure about it.

Let's just leave it at this. We're going to get some snow, likely accumulating snow that is going to make getting around a mess.

So what's the worse news? Well, that snow is going to be followed by our old pal the 'polar vortex.' In other words, that bone-chilling cold is due for an encore performance. And this time it's going to stick around for the rest of the week.

The forecast calls for single-digit temperatures to come barreling in behind this snowstorm, with wind-chill temperatures registering below zero.

Here's the likely timetable for how this thing is expected to unfold today.

If you need to get somewhere (like work, don't worry so much about school, most are already closed for the day), the morning rush hour won't be a problem.

Snow will arrive later this morning, and likely will start to accumulate on road surfaces by early afternoon. The heavy stuff is expected to move in between 3-8. Snow should be over by around midnight, replaced by a blast of arctic cold.

Here in Delaware County the call is for anywhere from 7-11 inches of snow. This is one of those odd snows where the infamous "northern and western" suburbs actually won't be getting hit as hard.

The Lehigh Valley is only going to get 4-6 inches, and even less up in the Poconos, where they actually enjoy this nonsense.

Areas in Delaware and New Jersey could be the hardest hit, with the I-95 corridor also looking like it is going to take a direct hit.

Raise your hand if you've had enough. Me, too.

Hey, we're exactly two months from the first day of spring, which arrives on March 20.

Just in case you were wondering.