Wu Declares Snow Emergency For Potential Historic Storm In Boston

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu declared a citywide state of emergency Friday ahead of a major nor'easter expected to hit Massachusetts Saturday.

"This has the potential to be a historic storm, a huge one," Wu said addressing the public at City Hall Friday morning. "This is likely to be an intense, dangerous storm with heavy snow, high winds, and whiteout conditions."

Snowfall totals of over 2 feet are possible in some areas, flooding and wind-blown snow could make travel "nearly impossible," officials said.

The snow emergency will go into effect at 9 p.m. Friday, and a parking ban will go into effect at the same time. All vehicles parked on a posted snow emergency road will be towed to allow for snow clearing.

A blizzard warning is in effect for almost all of coastal Massachusetts, including Boston, with total snowfall ranging between 18 to 24 inches in and around the city, Wu said.

"This is a blizzard, this is not just a big snowstorm," Wu said, urging residents to stay off city roads, use caution when clearing the snow, and check on elderly neighbors.

"If you're having trouble with your heat, please call 311, we have contractors lined up to assist," an official mentioned during the conference.

The Boston Public Works Department has 850 pieces of equipment to clear and treat the roads, with over 38,000 tons of salt to help keep roads from freezing.

All BCYF community centers and the Boston Public Library will be closed on Saturday.

Boston residents with a resident sticker can find a list of free and discounted garages here. Parking at participating garages will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Friday morning, Scituate Fire Chief John Murphy issued an evacuation advisory for people who live on the water.

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.

Officials also emphasized how important it was to stay away from downed wires, and to report them to 911 immediately.