With the Houston area in the frigid grip of a rare winter storm, it may seem like only snow and sleet are falling across the region. But forecasters say there's more to winter precipitation than meets the eye.

Houston is preparing for a historic winter storm expected to bring up to 6 inches of snow, a rare event not seen in decades.

As Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service was projecting that the Houston area could see as much as 4-6 inches of snow. If the forecast comes to fruition, it would be the most snow the city has seen since 1960 and possibly one of its heaviest snowfall events ever recorded.