Blizzard bears down on Northern Seacoast

Snowmap shows varying depths expected. (Courtesy Accuweather)

Area first responders and emergency personnel are scurrying today to put in place contingency plans as a blizzard of what could be historic proportion will slam the Northern Seacoast tonight through Tuesday, bringing many communities to a standstill.

Once the system reaches the waters off the Northeast and turns northward, it will rapidly intensify tonight with blizzard conditions developing from the central New Jersey coast to southern New England.

A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds of at least 35 mph and lasting for a prolonged period of time, typically three hours or more.

Along the coast during tonight's storm winds could gust up to 70 mph, while in the Northern Seacoast they should keep to 25-35 mph with higher gusts expected.

Power outages are a distinct possibility.

Area markets and hardware stores will fill with frenzied shoppers late this afternoon scooping up storm supplies, so the earlier you can shop, the better.

The blizzard is expected to be a three-day event not ending till early Wednesday, but the strongest storm impact is thought to occur from midnight tonight till midnight Tuesday.

A New England Patriots rally in Boston is expected to wrap up before the storm hits.

This could turn out to be the biggest storm of the winter for many areas in the Northeast and could rank among the greatest snowstorms in some communities.

Between one and two feet of snow is forecast to fall in the Rochester area, New York City and Albany, New York; Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; Boston, Worcester, Springfield and New Bedford, Massachusetts; Manchester, Concord and Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and Portland, Augusta and Bangor, Maine.

Snow amounts will exceed two feet from north of New York City to central Massachusetts.

Strong winds howling during the storm will cause severe blowing and drifting with drifts in some communities measuring as high as 10 feet. Roofs may fail under the weight of such drifts.

People using shovels to clear the snow should take their time and take frequent breaks while shoveling to reduce the risk of heart-related injuries.

Impacts from the powerful storm will be felt all across the Northeast and into portions of Canada, but the worst of the storm is expected to focus on the area from New York City to Boston to Portland, Maine.

The blizzard will unload heavy snow and winds howling past 35 mph. The combination of the snow and wind will dramatically lower visibility down to zero. Wind gusts on Cape Cod can occasionally gust up to near hurricane-force during the worst of the storm early Tuesday morning.

Accuweather contributed to this article.