MA Blizzard: When Will Snow Start, How Much Will Fall?

MASSACHUSETTS — Snow is expected to start falling late Friday night as a massive – and potentially record-setting – blizzard bears down on Massachusetts.

According to the National Weather Service, the first flakes will arrive after 11 p.m. in the Boston area, with winds increasing to 11-16 mph and potentially as high as 31 mph. That will likely dump 1-3 inches of snow, but the bulk of the storm will come during the day Saturday.

The NWS forecast calls for new accumulation of 13-19 inches during the day Saturday, with winds of 20-26 mph and gusts as high as 55 mph. Temperatures will peak near 18 degrees and dip below zero with the wind chill.

At night, about 3-7 inches of snow is expected to fall, with winds slowing to 15-23 mph and gusts of up to 41 mph. If you plan on going anywhere, bundle up – it's expected to feel the coldest it has all day at -7 degrees.

All Amtrak Northeast Regional service between Boston and New York, and all Springfield Shuttle service between New Haven, CT and Greenfield, including the Valley Flyer, is canceled on Saturday, MassDOT said. Nearly 600 flights in and out of Logan Airport have been canceled, according to FlightAware.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning from coastal Massachusetts and the Cape to the I-495/I-95 corridor. The latest forecasts call for 18-24 inches of snow to fall overnight Friday until Sunday morning.

Further inland, central Massachusetts is under a winter storm warning and could get anywhere from 8-24 inches.

What constitutes a blizzard? Not all snowstorms earn the title, as it has less to do with snow and more with the amount of wind and visibility (or lack thereof). A blizzard has winds of more than 35 mph and less than a quarter-mile of visibility.

In fact, snow doesn't even have to be falling in order for there to be a blizzard – a ground blizzard can happen when high winds whip up snow that is already on the ground, according to the NWS.

If Boston gets more than 24.6 inches of snow, it would break the record for January set in 2015, when two feet of snow fell between Jan. 26 and Jan. 28, according to AccuWeather. With more than 20 inches, this weekend's storm would land in the top 10 snowfalls in state history, joining the President's Day Storm of 2003 and the Blizzard of '78.

It couldn't come at a worse time for many DPWs, where increasing vehicle and insurance costs, an aging workforce and tight labor market have created a perfect storm that's led to staffing challenges, Andover Public Works Director Christopher Cronin said. Many communities are warning residents that snow cleanup may take longer this year.

Eversource, meanwhile, is preparing for the likelihood of power outages due to downed trees or limbs by positioning line and tree crews across the state – including hundreds on loan from other states.

"We've had a close eye on this storm since the beginning of the week and continue to carefully track its path using several weather services and storm models," Bill Ritchie, Eversource's vice president of electric field operations in Massachusetts, said Thursday. "This storm has been tough to track, and we aren't leaving anything to chance. We have hundreds of crews flying in throughout the day today – and more arriving tomorrow – from southern and western parts of the country, so we don’t have to wait for them to drive here."

To prepare for potential outages, residents should put together a storm kit with essentials like flashlights, batteries, water, non-perishable foods, pet food and any needed medications. Make sure cell phones and devices are fully charged, create an emergency plan with family members and check on elderly neighbors and friends, Eversource said.

Outages may be reported online at Eversource.com, or by calling 800-592-2000. Customers who sign up for the company's two-way texting feature can send a text to report an outage and receive outage updates as they happen.

Residents are reminded to stay clear of downed wires and report them immediately to 911.