Parts of Alabama may get a chance to see a few pre-Christmas snowflakes this weekend.

That’s according to the National Weather Service. It’s by no means a sure thing, however, and if it does happen it would mainly affect those in north Alabama.

And forecasters said the three-word phrase many don’t want to hear when it comes to snow: No accumulations expected.

The same storm system that could bring strong to severe storms to Alabama on starting on Saturday will also usher in some much colder air.

It could be cold enough to squeeze out a few snowflakes as the system departs to the east.

If — if — the timing is right.

In Alabama it’s always a race for the cold air to catch up to the departing precipitation in time. Usually the cold arrives long after the rain is gone. That could be the case this go-around as well.

The weather service in Huntsville said a cold front should sweep across the state from west to east late Saturday night into Sunday morning.

“A sharp drop in temperatures if rain is still occurring could result in the rain mixing with or briefly becoming all snow before ending Sunday evening,” forecasters said in their Friday forecast discussion.

“Given a warm ground, no accumulation are expected should this occur.”

The weather service in Birmingham didn’t mention any possibility of snow in its forecast discussion for central Alabama.