Higher temperatures today should bring the area a reprieve from icy conditions, but don’t get too comfortable — Monday’s snowy forecast may give way to a full blown Nor’easter, according to the National Weather Service. 

Parts of the Northeast got their first real taste of winter Saturday as a storm crawling up the coast left a slushy, snowy coating on New York City and Philadelphia before moving into New England. 

Rain and sleet was mixing in with the snow in areas nearer to the coast, as temperatures crept above freezing, but people were warned to remain cautious. 

Weather service Observation Program Leader Tim Morrin said Saturday evening that ice formed overnight should melt by mid-morning today. The high today is expected to reach 36 degrees. Light snow is projected Monday and is expected to grow heavier and continue until Tuesday night, he said. 

He said the weather service currently predicts 8 to 14 inches of snow in New London County by Tuesday night. 

“This has the potential to be a classic coastal Nor’easter,” he said. 

He advised local residents to watch the forecast, but also said that the forecast is not “set in stone” and current projections likely will change. 

Road travel was safe for most of Saturday, but black ice formation on roads and walkways was predicted overnight due to the pairing of a second wave of precipitation and temperatures dropping, with a predicted low of 26 degrees. 

The NWS winter weather advisory, originally slated to end at 6 p.m., was extended until 7 p.m. 

Morrin cautioned earlier Saturday that surfaces that look wet may actually be icy. 

“And that could cause some very treacherous driving conditions,” he said. 

AAA’s Roadside Rescue Team responded to 567 calls for emergency road service in New London, Middlesex, Hartford, Tolland and Windham Counties between 12:01 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, according to an AAA news release. AAA had responded to only 38 calls by noon Saturday. 

Around 3 p.m. Saturday, AAA Allied Group Public Affairs Manager Aaron Kupec attributed an increase in number of calls to more people getting on the road rather than worsening of conditions over the course of the afternoon. He said at the time that the number actually fell below what he would expect for a typical Saturday. 

The weekend storm hit Pennsylvania and New Jersey overnight, dropping as much as 9 inches by Saturday morning in communities north of Philadelphia and west of New York. Both cities did get snow but largely had a slushy mix affecting travel. 

Speed restrictions were in place on Delaware River bridges between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

Philadelphia International Airport instituted a “ground delay” traffic management program that led to about two dozen cancellations. 

t.townsend@theday.com 

Twitter: @ConnecticuTess

Day Staff Writer Rick Koster contributed to this report.