Lake effect snow is expected to pound the North Country, according to the National Weather Service.

A hazardous weather outlook has been issued for south western St. Lawrence County as accumulations of up to 12 inches expected in some areas.

An arctic cold front will move south into the region on Wednesday bringing snow showers and locally heavy snow squalls.

This arctic cold front will bring bitterly cold air to the region with low temperatures by early Thursday morning falling to 10 to 30 degrees below zero, the weather service says.

A wind chill warning may be needed for late Wednesday afternoon into early Thursday morning.

Persistently frigid temperatures through the rest of this week will cause ice to form across rivers and streams, increasing the potential for freeze up jams across the North Country.

For weather information specific to your area visit NorthCountryNow.com/weather.

A seven day forecast follows:

Today: Snow showers likely, mainly after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 17. Wind chill values as low as -2. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight: A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 1. Wind chill values as low as -7. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Wednesday: Snow showers likely, mainly before 9am. The snow could be heavy at times. Cloudy and cold, with a temperature falling to around -8 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -30. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -11. Wind chill values as low as -31. Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light and variable.

Thursday: A 50 percent chance of snow showers after 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 21. Breezy, with a southwest wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Thursday Night: Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 11. Southwest wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 20. Southwest wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -2. West wind 5 to 11 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 16. Southwest wind around 10 mph.

Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8. Southwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25. Southwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. Southwest wind around 8 mph.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 24. Southwest wind around 7 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.