Travel Conditions Expected to Become 'Hazardous' in Storm

At least 6 inches of snow followed by sleet and freezing rain are expected in Peabody, starting on Saturday afternoon. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning from 1 p.m. Saturday through 1 p.m. Sunday.

The storm will create “hazardous travel conditions” during the worst of it Saturday night into early Sunday, the weather service said.

In addition to the North Shore, the winter storm watch extends across most of Massachusetts, plus Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

The storm will start as heavy snow and then be followed by brief period of sleet and freezing rain, according to the weather service, before tapering off late Sunday morning or afternoon.

The snow total will range from 6-12 inches “along with a trace of ice.”

A winter storm watch was upgraded to a winter storm warning because an average of 6 or more inches of snow is expected to accumulate in a 12-hour period or 8 or more inches in a 24-hour period.

"Snow overspreads Southern New England around midday Saturday, becoming steadier and heavier around midnight Sunday [and] continuing into early Sunday morning," says the weather service. "There is the potential for a brief period of mixing with sleet and freezing rain by early Sunday morning over a majority of the warned area."

In addition to the snow, a northeast wind will blow at 10-20 miles per hour with gusts to 30 mph, with the strongest winds near the coast. Visibility will also be low at times due to the snow.

“Travel will be slow at best on well treated surfaces and quite difficult on any unplowed or untreated surfaces,” the weather service said.