Blizzard Watch: Between 16-24 Inches of Snow, 25-35 MPH Winds to Come

It’s still two days away, but forecasters are already sounding the alarm about a snowstorm headed our way on Friday that could the the largest since Boxing Day in 2010.

The storm is forecasted to arrive two days after the 35th anniversary of the Blizzard of 1978.

While Friday’s storm will be nowhere near the legendary storm in the late 70s, forecasters are now saying it could leave anywhere between 16 and 24 inches of snow in our area, and be the largest storm to hit the area since the day after Christmas in 2010.

“I think it's time to prepare for the biggest storm since December 26th and 27th of 2010,” WHDH-TV chief meteorologist Pete Bouchard writes in his latest blog post. “For the snow hounds, your ship might have finally come in.”

Bouchard said there are several factors that lead him to forecast a large storm, including the cold air that is in place and “there is a tremendous amount of energy shooting into the storm”

Blizzard Watch Declared for Marblehead

In the National Weather Service's Blizzard Watch, they say there is the potential for between 16 and 24 inches of snow in Marblehead.

The storm is expected to start on Thursday evening and last until early Saturday.

“There is the potential that the storm may linger into the day on Saturday,” the weather service said.

Snow will be heaviest Friday evening into Saturday morning, falling at 2 to 3 inches an hour. Visibility will be less than a quarter mile.

In addition to falling snow, though, the winds will gust causing blowing and drifting snow. The weather service said the wind will blow at 25-35 miles per hour with possible 55-mile-per-hour gusts.