Dangerous heavy snow and winds approaching hurricane intensity could knock out power and flood coastal areas

“Powerful winter storm to produce significant impacts across parts of New England and coastal Mid-Atlantic/Northeast on Saturday,” it said.

Bands of heavier snow will set up, too, hitting isolated areas again and again — piling up to 30 inches in some spots. If a band reaches Boston, the city could near the its one-day snowfall record of 23.6 inches, set on February 17, 2003.

The storm forecast also includes:

• Eastern Massachusetts, including Boston, could see between 18 to 24 inches of snow combined with wind gusts up to 70 mph, forecast models show. Two to 4 inches per hour could fall in the city, with conditions due to peak Saturday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Similar snow total and wind predictions are in place for Rhode Island.

• The Philadelphia area in eastern Pennsylvania is expected to get 4 to 11 inches of snow, with a winter storm warning in place from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 p.m. Saturday. Up to an inch of snow an hour is possible, along with gusts of 35 mph. Similar conditions are expected in the Dover, Delaware, area.

• In Washington, DC, snowfall could be 1 to 3 inches, with higher amounts in some parts and conditions due to peak Friday between 4 and 9 p.m.

Snow, wind and coastal flooding to slam Northeast

The storm is expected to unleash a double whammy of heavy snowfall and strong winds throughout parts of the Northeast, but the exact impact across the region remains in question.

“This storm is likely to strengthen at a rate, and to an intensity, equivalent to only the most powerful hurricanes, so the high-end potential of this storm cannot be overstated,” CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said. “But with nor’easters, like in real estate, it will all come down to location, location, location.”

“Coastal flooding is a concern thanks to astronomically high tides on Saturday,” the weather service office in Boston said. “The combination of strong northeast winds and high seas will bring storm surges that, if coinciding with high tide, would lead to minor or moderate coastal flooding.”

The difference in storm timing — even as few as six hours — would make a massive difference in impact on coastal flooding and erosion concerns.

‘Historic’ storm for eastern New England

The National Weather Service said Friday evening there is “high confidence” this will be a “historic major winter storm for eastern New England,” with widespread snowfall of one to two feet. Areas including eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island may see up to three feet of snow with blizzard conditions, with the added possibility of thunder amid the snowfall.

Snowfall rates in those areas could reach two to four inches an hour, the service added. The snow, in addition to powerful winds, will mean “bitterly cold wind chills” Saturday, it said.

Boston is declaring a “snow emergency” on Friday at 9 p.m., Mayor Michelle Wu announced.

“We are expecting as much as 18 to 24 inches of snow and 40- to 50-mph winds. This is likely to be an intense, dangerous storm, with heavy snow, high winds and whiteout conditions.”

Peak snowfall is expected on Saturday morning, stopping sometime Sunday, said Wu. The potential for strong winds to line up with high tide means there’s also a risk of flooding, she added.

This storm “has the potential to be one for the record books,” and residents shouldn’t expect everything to go back to normal once the snow stops falling, Franklin-Hodge emphasized.

Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee said his state is well-equipped to handle the 12 to 18 inches of snow forecast. It has 75,000 pounds of salt to preemptively treat roads tonight, and a blizzard warning is in effect as of Friday morning, he said said Friday at a news conference.

Rhode Island also has 150 plows of its own, plus 350 plows contracted through vendors, Transportation Department Director Peter Alviti Jr. said, who added conditions Saturday are going to get “very intense, very quickly.”

State-run Covid-19 vaccination and testing sites will close Saturday, McKee added.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said the state is ready for this weekend’s “wicked snowstorm,” adding the state will deploy over 600 snow plows to help clear the snow.

“I’d like to think that we’re as ready as we can be,” he said Friday afternoon at a news conference.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency starting at 5 p.m. Friday. All state offices closed at 3 p.m.

“Our advice to everyone is to be prepared to hunker down once you get home this afternoon and stay home,” Murphy said. “Stay home tonight, and stay home tomorrow.

“Whatever you may need to get through a snow day, get it on your way home today so you do not have to venue out,” he said, and also asked residents to report power outages and downed power lines.

New York declares state of emergency

“This is likely to be one of the most significant storms we have seen over the last several years,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said.

As local leaders urged residents to avoid travel, Bellone said they expect “blind out conditions” on the roads, which could also make it difficult for plow operators.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority — which serves million of people across New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York state and Connecticut — made various adjustments ahead of the storm, including suspending all Long Island Rail Road service Saturday morning and suspending branch line service on all Metro-North train lines.

Amtrak canceled some Saturday services, including all of its high-speed Acela service between Washington, DC and Boston and regional service between Boston and New York, the company said.

All vaccine appointments scheduled for Saturday have been rescheduled for Sunday, the city’s mayor said.