Greater Boston warned to brace for 2 feet of snow, at least a foot elsewhere in Massachusetts

Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald on Jan 24, 2026

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BOSTON — Greater Boston is being warned to brace for up to 2 feet of snow. That’s sure to bring out the odd space savers in Southie for days.

The National Weather Service morning update (posted at 3 a.m.) states the city could see 18 to 24 inches of snow from this storm heading our way. That’s a significant adjustment from Friday. They alert it’s the latest prediction, “Hot off the press.”

And the newly formed red zone inches out to I-495 in some cases, so Greater Boston communities are in this backbreaking snowfall category. The South Shore, North Shore, and MetroWest are in the red region, too. That’s a lot of digging out heading our way.

A corresponding map of Massachusetts places Cambridge to Newton; Saugus to Salem; Quincy to Weymouth, all in this 2-foot, red-painted, shovel-ready, pain-meds region. Lowell is right on the red line, if not slightly toward the 12-inch side, with Fitchburg clearly in the 1-foot zone. It’s also great news for ski mountains in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The timing, of course, is key. The NWS states “snow arrives 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.” on Sunday and depending on where you live, the heaviest snowfall kicks into gear from 3 p.m. Sunday through 1 a.m. Monday.

“Light to moderate snow lingers through much of Monday,” the meteorologists add, “especially in central and eastern Massachusetts.”

This poses a sticky problem for plows, and those lucky ones with snowblowers, because the heavy snowfall ebbs at 1 a.m. The best course of action, for homeowners, is to wake up Monday to begin digging out — or brew the coffee now and stay up late.

Now would be a good time to grab groceries, a good shovel, gas for your snowblower, start a stew, fix extra baby bottles and get ready to break out the blankets and plan to watch the Patriots game and reruns until Monday.

Also, it’s bone-aching cold outside. That’s typical for this time of year as the atmosphere (and birds) prepare for a storm packing this type of punch.

As for travel, the NWS says it will be “difficult, especially late Sunday and Sunday evening” and still tricky on Monday, especially early. The plows are usually a good clue for go-time. Once they pass, it’s a signal to dig out. Good luck! Stay safe! Check on your neighbors!