Forecast Update: Boston Could Receive 12 Inches-Plus of Snow This Weekend

There is increasing confidence that Boston and virtually all of Eastern Massachusetts will see nearly a foot of snow, with major impacts on the region, as a major winter storm is moving across the country.

Current projects from the National Weather Service have a high likelihood of a foot or more of snow across the region. The South Coast and Cape and Islands will likely see lower totals, but largely because of mixed precipitation.

Here's what we know: A significant winter weather event is moving its way across the country as you read this. A low-pressure system with a lot of moisture in it just had a lovely vacation in Baja California, and now it's headed this way to bring precipitation to a lot of its friends across the country. At the same time, his colder-climate cousin, a pressure system coming down from Canada, is bringing some cold weather home from its trip up north.

Where those systems converge will impact how much precipitation falls in most areas, but at this point, every major model supports heavy impacts across the area.

As of late afternoon Thursday, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for essentially the entire area. We've known the cold was going to hit and some precipitation was coming with it.

There is also now high confidence that the cold will stretch into next week, which will create additional problems if there are power outages or travel issues.

We also know that snow is coming, and a lot of it. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Sunday morning through Monday evening. That will likely be upgraded by tomorrow to a Warning.

As of right now, it looks like heavy snow will fall Sunday morning through the afternoon and into Monday across much of the region. During the day on Monday, there will be some light to moderate snowfall.

And the cold won't be going away anytime soon, either. NWS currently projects no significant warming before Thursday night.

For the most part, this should just be a signficant snow event for the region. But there are some areas that could get more freezing rain, primarily closer to the coast. Those areas could face prolonged power outages.

Make sure you have supplies to stay warm, as well as non-perishable food and water.

Make sure you have multiple ways to receive information, including a battery-operated radio, as well as backup chargers for your phones.