Blizzard Could Drop 30 Inches Of Snow In Boston Area

BOSTON — The Boston area is facing a potentially historic and destructive blizzard Sunday, with the possibility of up to 30 inches of snow and 70 mph winds threatening the region overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard on Sunday ahead of the storm.

“This will be a severe storm that presents significant risks to public safety. We need everyone to take it seriously,” Healey said in a news release. “It is critical that people stay off the roads tonight and tomorrow.”

Snow accumulation was forecast to start Sunday evening, with rates of up to 4 inches per hour between 4 a.m. and noon Monday, making travel “difficult to impossible,” according to the National Weather Service.

The immediate area around Boston was expected to see 18-24 inches of snowfall, while closer to Providence, up to 30 inches was forecast. The entire region was under a blizzard warning, as far inland as west of Springfield.

Wind gusts overnight and into Monday were anticipated to reach near 60 mph in Boston but almost 75 mph in Nantucket and Provincetown.

The forecast fell under The Winter Storm Severity Index’s highest possible impact rating, in which “life-saving actions may be needed,” according to the weather service.

Impacts were expected to be extreme and include tree damage and power outages, according to the service, which noted travel was not advised.

In addition to Boston, blizzard warnings were issued by the weather service in New York City and Long Island, coastal communities in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland.

“It's been a while since we've had a major nor’easter and major blizzard of this magnitude across the Northeast," said Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the service’s Weather Prediction Center.

“This is definitely a major winter storm and a major impact for this part of the country," he said.

More than 3,500 flights were canceled across the U.S. as of Sunday afternoon, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Airports in the path of the storm were also seeing widespread cancellations on Monday, with almost all departures out of Boston already called off.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.