EDMONTON -- Some Albertans may want to get their shovels ready: 20 to 40 centimetres of snow will fall on northwest Alberta Friday and early Saturday.

Ahead of that, Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a Winter Storm Watch for the following areas: Grande Prairie, Peace River, High Prairie, Whitecourt, Edson. That "watch" will likely be upgraded to a "warning" on Friday.

Edmonton is not included in the advisory. However, the region could see around 10 centimetres of snow Friday night and Saturday.

In the Peace Country, showers Thursday night will flip over to snow early Friday and the heaviest snow should fall through the day Friday and into Friday night.

Snow will slowly taper off late Saturday as the heaviest snow moves further south and targets the foothills and mountain parks Saturday.

Areas near Calgary will get heavy snow late Saturday and Sunday.

For a complete forecast, visit CTV News Edmonton's weather page.