A winter storm could bring as much as two-and half-inches of snow and sleet to Butler County on Thursday.

A low pressure system arriving Thursday morning is packing a lot of moisture that will include rain, sleet and snow, said Lared Rackley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

“It's another low pressure system that is going to swing through and it's going to bring quite a bit of precipitation,” Rackley said.

Warmer air temperatures would cause the snow to turn to rain before it hits the ground where it will freeze and turn to sleet, he said.

If the temperature dips below freezing, the precipitation will be snow.

“Regardless of what actually falls, there's going to be quite a bit of moisture with this system. Right now it looks like some periods of rain and sleet and snow mixed,” Rackley said.

The system will move in Thursday morning, but “Thursday night is the big event,” he said.

Precipitation will continue Friday morning before the system moves out of the area Friday afternoon, he said.

Snow and sleet accumulation of one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half inches is possible. Total accumulation could be a little higher if the precipitation turns to snow and could be a little less if it is mostly sleet, he said.

Thursday's forecast calls for a high temperature of 34 degrees and a 60 percent chance of precipitation. The temperature will fall to 32 Thursday night with a 70 percent chance of precipitation.

Friday's forecast includes a 40 percent chance of precipitation through the morning with a high near 40.