With apologies to William Shakespeare: no snow, a little snow or lots of snow, that is the question.

Area residents might want to have their snow boots, mittens and snow-cream recipes available Friday night and Saturday as Winter Storm Helena hits eastern North Carolina. Late Thursday, forecasters changed their estimated snow accumulation in the Washington area from 6 to 8 inches by Saturday afternoon to 2 to 3 inches.

A low-pressure system is forecast to move through eastern North Carolina today and Saturday, with a developing nor’easter along the coast joining the mix, according to the National Weather Service. The distance of the low from the coast will determine what form(s) of precipitation will be produced by the winter storm. If the system is farther off the coast, expect colder temperatures and an increased likelihood of a snow event. If the system is closer to the coast, expect milder temperatures and a mixture of rain and snow.

John Pack, director of Beaufort County Emergency Services, has contacted area emergency-response officials, asking them to make preparations for the winter storm. “All EMS and Fire Stations with Generator Backup should make preparations to be open as a warming center for stranded motorist(s).  We will be prepared to open shelters if the situation warrants,” Pack wrote in an email. “All Fire Departments with tire chains need to report quantities and sizing information to either the Fire Marshall or EMS Administrator as appropriate.  More information will follow after the NWS briefing at 4:00pm today.  Forestry Fire please let the undersigned know how many four-wheel drive vehicles you could place in service should they be needed.”

N.C. Department of Transportation crews are expected to begin applying brine to major roadways in the area today, with crews on stand-by during the weekend to respond during and after the storm.

One DOT official provided advice to area motorists. “The safest way to prevent a wreck in icy or snowy weather is to stay off the roads,” said DOT Division 2 engineer John Rouse. “If you must travel, slow down and exercise extreme caution, especially on bridges and overpasses where ice can accumulate first.”

On Thursday, Frankie Buck Jr., Washington’s public-works director, said some city trucks were being equipped with snowplows and a salt-spreader Thursday and today. “Depending upon the way this system comes in, I would like to be able to do a little pre-salting before the ice and snow, but with the rain event that may come prior to the ice and snow, it really wouldn’t do our salt any good,” Buck said. “We’ll just have to monitor the weather and pay attention to what’s going on and play it by ear that way.”

The largest recorded snowfall in one day in Beaufort County occurred in Belhaven on March 3, 1980, when 16.4 inches of snow fell, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The highest two-day total for snowfall happened that March 3-4, 1980, when Washington received 19.2 inches of snow. Washington had the highest three-day total for March 3-5, 1980, with Washington accumulating 23.1 inches of snow.

One of the largest snowfalls, if not the largest snowfall, in 2016 occurred Feb. 12 when 2.9 inches of snow fell in Pinetown, according to NOAA, with Washington getting two-tenths of an inch of snow.