We almost had a week.

That's the good news. The bad news? A historic storm is blanketing one-third of the nation and will continue to drop a mixture of just about every type of precipitation Mother Nature can dish out over the next 48 hours. Want more bad news? We may  have only one completely snow-free day before it begins again. But look on the bright side--it's February--spring is only seven weeks away!

While the National Weather Service is predicting the snow to begin close to 7 a.m., on Tuesday, with possible accumulations of 4 to 8 inches during the day today, the storm will continue on and on and on, ending Thursday morning.

Tonight we can expect a mix of sleet and freezing rain, adding another 1 to 3 inches of messy accumulation on the newly shoveled walkways, to say nothing of the roads you will need to navigate on the extra-long commute Wednesday.

It is unlikely the groundhog will see his shadow on Wednesday, as higher temperatures will bring more sleet, freezing rain, rain and snow. Northeast winds will continue to blow, with gusts of up to 25 miles per hour, according to WeatherBug.com.

While visions of greener, warmer days may lull you to sleep on Wednesday night, lower temperatures will change the storm back to snow, yet accumulations are predicted at less than an inch.

The storm will end in the early hours on Thursday, with scattered snow showers. Partly cloudy skies will make way for the sun on Friday, but don't put the shovels away yet, Saturday will bring more snow.

Mansfield Patch will provide updates and cancellations throughout the week.