1530 Hours, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011: Sussex County will see more white than wet in the hours ahead as a coastal storm is set to bring snowfall to the region, beginning as early as the evening commute.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Sussex County, which remains in effect through 4 a.m. Thursday, as forecasters now expect 2 to 4 inches of snow to fall in the next 12 hours. So far, the storm has brought moderate rain to the region, but a rush of cold air is expected to move into Delaware later this evening, switching the moisture from rain to all snow.

That could make for slippery travel after sunset and into the nighttime hours tonight. Forecasters expect the transition to begin in Sussex by 6 p.m., and continue until midnight, with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches an hour possible.

“Sussex County has been fortunate that the temperature today has been above freezing, so we haven’t seen any real issues to this point,” Sussex County Emergency Operations Center Director Joseph L. Thomas said. “But we expect that to change, so motorists especially should be careful on their drive home this evening as the roads could become snow-covered and icy.”

Emergency officials urge the public to stay prepared and to continue monitoring local forecasts for any changes or updates.

For updates, stay tuned to local media outlets, the Sussex County EOC Web site, www.sussexcountyde.gov/emergency-preparedness, or follow the County’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, www.facebook.com/SussexCountyDE, twitter.com/sussexde_govt and twitter.com/SussexCtyDE_EOC.

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Media calls should be directed to EOC spokeswoman Debra Jones at (302) 855-7801 or Sussex County Chief of Public Information Chip Guy at (302) 854-5000.