The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch Wednesday afternoon, warning that the District might get 12 to 20 inches of snow between Friday morning and Saturday evening.

According to the alert, snow is expected to begin late morning Friday with temperatures in the low to mid 30s Friday, dropping to 25 to 30 degrees Friday night and Saturday day.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on their Web site that “this storm has the potential to be similar to the December 19th storm,” referring to the storm that stranded students for three days in D.C. during the last days of final exams.

The National Weather Service expects this weekend’s storm to disrupt travel plans.