Seattle could see one of its largest snowfalls since the 1940s as twin winter storms move over the Pacific Northwest, according to the National Weather Service.

Between 5 and 10 inches of snow could hit the Seattle-Tacoma area Wednesday, January 18 said Dustin Guy, a meteorologist at the weather service's Seattle office.

Precipitation moving in from the south and west is combining with cold air moving south from Canada to create the heavy snowfall, Guy said. If snowfall amounts top 7 inches, the winter weather event will rank among Seattle's 10 worst since the early 1940s, Guy said.

High-wind warnings were in effect along the coast, where winds could gust to hurricane force - knocking down trees and causing power outages, CNN quoted meteorologist Taylor Ward as saying.