Peabody Blizzard: Snow Emergency Parking Ban Starts At Midnight

PEABODY, MA — A snow emergency parking ban goes into effect in Peabody at midnight Friday night as the city prepares for a massive snowstorm expected to dump up to two feet of snow with 50 mph winds across the coastline.

The two new coronavirus PCR testing kiosks on Centennial Drive and Railroad Avenue will be closed for the storm.

The National Weather Service issued an official blizzard warning for all Massachusetts communities inside of Route 495 Friday morning.

A blizzard has winds of more than 35 mph and less than a quarter-mile of visibility.

Eversource and National Grid are 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.

While some store shelves are likely to already be bare for necessities like milk, bread and eggs, Friday would be the day to put together a pack of other essential items such as flashlights, batteries, water, non-perishable foods, pet food and any needed medications. Eversource advises residents to make sure cell phones and devices are fully charged.

Patch will post updates throughout what could be one of the biggest one-day snowfalls in recent North Shore history.

If you have any photos from the storm that you would like included in a possible gallery, send them — including the community where they were taken — to scott.souza@patch.com.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)