Call it a bomb cyclone or a nor'easter, it's going to be a memorable storm for some folks along the East Coast as January turns to February.

The winter storm is moving offshore, but much of the eastern part of the country faces ice, bitterly cold temperatures and wind chill.

That uncertainty is not unusual at this early stage. Forecasters rely on a blend of weather models — computer simulations used to predict future conditions — and they are more confident in a forecast when most of those models are consistent with one another. The closer the storm is, the more confident forecasters become.

What to Know Preliminary forecasts show 8-12 inches of snow can be expected for much of the tri-state area, including New York City, the Hudson Valley, nearly all of New Jersey and into Connecticut; areas along the coast may see slightly lower totals,