BOSTON (AP/WHDH) — Massachusetts transportation officials are warning of hazardous travel conditions because of an impending winter storm, with nearly a foot of snow possible in the northern part of the state.
A winter storm warning has been issued for areas north and west of Interstate 495. A winter storm watch has been issued for Boston, Merrimack Valley and Southern Worcester County. The alert will go into effect Sunday and is expected to last into Tuesday, according to 7NEWS meteorologist Jackie Layer.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is advising the public that by midday Sunday there will be a mix of heavy snow, freezing rain and strong wind gusts in Western Massachusetts which will arrive in the greater Boston area by 5 p.m.
During the storm, snow fall rates will be 1-2 inches per hour in many areas. 7NEWS meteorologist Jeremy Reiner said the Metro Boston area should see between 2 and 5 inches of snow during the course of the storm, with 5 to 10 inches forecast for the Worcester and Merrimack areas
MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver is advising anyone who has to travel, to leave as early as possible Sunday morning.
To avoid the storm, motorists traveling on roads north and west of Interstate 495 should be off the roads by 3 p.m. and motorists traveling east and south of Interstate 495 should be off the roads by 5 p.m.
As the system evolves off the Southern New England coastline, the rain/snow line will hover within the Interstate 495 corridor into Monday morning’s commute, Layer predicted. While the storm will slack off early Monday evening, it will build up again through Tuesday morning.
7NEWS meteorologist Jaisol Martinez says this is an event that is spread out from Sunday night until early Tuesday morning so it won’t dump all this snow in a short amount of time. Crews should be able to keep up with the snow.
(Copyright (c) 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)