Flood Watch, Dangerous Cold As Powerful Winter Storm Threatens MA: See Latest Forecast

MASSACHUSETTS — A reinforcing blast of dangerously cold air that closed some Massachusetts schools on Friday, and will bring below-zero temperatures on Saturday morning, will set the stage for a potentially destructive combination of snow, wind and beach erosion on Sunday as a powerful ocean "bomb cyclone" storm makes a pass off the Atlantic coast.

While most forecasts Friday morning were not calling for a direct hit on the Bay State, the impacts of the storm will be felt with plowable snow likely on Cape Cod and the Islands, winds gusting to 60 mph or higher, and coastal flooding concerns amid an astronomically high tide.

A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect for high tide cycles from Sunday morning through Monday afternoon.

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"Shallow pockets of flooding less than one foot deep affect the lowest lying areas along the coast, including Morrissey Boulevard in Boston," the National Weather Service said. "Flooding up to one foot deep will affect coastal roads on the North Shore from Salem to Gloucester and Newburyport. Rough surf will cause flooding on some coastal roads around the time of high tide due to splashover. Roads remain passable.

"Low-lying areas and roads near Nantucket Harbor, including Easy Street, may experience pockets of shallow flooding."

The watch applies to coastal areas of Essex, Suffolk, Dukes, Norfolk, Plymouth, Barnstable and Nantucket counties.

The NWS said snow will likely arrive between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. with northeast winds howling to 30 mph across the region, and gusts up to 60 mph or higher on the outer Cape and Islands.

Snow totals will vary greatly across the state, with the Cape and the Islands getting hit with 6 inches of snow, up to as much as a foot of snow.

The South Shore and South Coast could get 3 to 6 inches, with 1 to 3 inches in Greater Boston, and lesser amounts west of Route 495.

Snow will likely be in the air for the Patriots Super Bowl sendoff at Gillette Stadium, featuring a performance from the Dropkick Murphys, routines from the Patriots Cheerleaders, and a drumline from New England-based Flagship Entertainment.

Before the storm, the story is all about the bitter cold, with highs on Friday only in the teens and wind chills below zero the entire day.

Friday night will be the heart of the dangerous cold with the NWS forecasting a low temperature of minus-2 degrees, and wind chills 10 below zero.

Saturday will be cold again with a high of 20 degrees and a wind chill at minus-12.

Winds will ramp up Saturday night with lows in the single-digits and wind chills again below zero.

After the storm, Groundhog Day is shaping up as a sunny day with slightly more moderate temperatures near freezing.

It is looking sunny with highs in the low 30s for most of next week, according to the NWS.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)