Coastal communities prepare for high winds and potential flooding from winter storm

South Shore communities could get 18 to 24 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Boston is expected to be buried in snow with a foot to 18 inches predicted for parts of the city, according to the National Weather Service. It’s possible those snow totals could climb higher, with the weather service reporting a 60 percent to 70 percent chance that the city gets more than 18 inches of snow and a 30 percent to 40 percent chance of at least two feet of snow, according to maps released Thursday night.

Forecasters with the weather service predict that the snow could accumulate in some areas as quickly as 3 to 4 inches per hour, depending on the storm’s track.

Forecasters are confident that southeastern Massachusetts will experience blizzard conditions with blowing snow greatly reducing visibility.

“The silver lining is that because we are dealing with dry powdery fluff, there is less of a concern for snow loading issues except for parts of the outer Cape and Nantucket due to the coastal front,” forecasters said.

Scituate town officials noted in a statement the possibility of “isolated to scattered power outages” during the storm and told residents to call 911 if they see any downed power lines.

Strong winds will also be an issue with gusts predicted as high as 65 miles per hour in Gloucester and on parts of the Cape and Islands, and between 40 and 50 miles per hour in communities throughout eastern Massachusetts, from New Bedford to Newburyport, according to the National Weather Service.

“These winds will stir up our coastal waters bringing nearshore waves to 10′-15′ early in the day and may exceed 20′ later in the day as the storm strengthens,” the statement read.

The severity of the coastal flooding will depend on the timing of the strongest winds with the potential for minor and moderate flooding in some low-lying areas, according to the statement. That means it’s time to board up coastal homes, the statement said.

“With these moderately high astronomical tides and strong northeast winds, coastal homes should make their properties safe by securing outside equipment and boarding up windows and doors,” the statement said. “Coastal residents should also consider relocating to a hotel or friend’s home for this storm.”

Scituate Fire Chief John P. Murphy said in an e-mail that fire officials have been in contact with ”our emergency management team, MEMA, all of our utility partners & will continue to do so.”

He said officials should have a better idea of what is coming by Friday afternoon and will be issuing final plans then.

In Marshfield, police urged people with homes near the water to seal up their properties before the storm hits.

“Prepare homes by ocean by boarding windows and pulling storm shutters,” said Marshfield police on Facebook Thursday. “Everyone in areas prone to flooding make arrangements today to stay with friends or relatives outside of [the] flood zone.”

Marshfield police said in a statement Wednesday that flooding at high tide could pose a problem.

The National Weather Service reported Thursday that a winter storm watch will be in effect from late Friday night through Saturday evening in coastal areas from the Cape and the Islands and New Bedford up to Gloucester. The storm watch extends west through most of the state, as far as Greenfield, and also covers all of Rhode Island and Connecticut and large swaths of New Hampshire and Maine.

Winds could gust as high as 65 miles per hour in some of those areas closer to the coast, and up to 70 miles per hour on Nantucket and on the northern end of the Cape near Provincetown.

During those hours, the weather service cautioned, travel “could be very difficult to impossible. Very strong winds could cause extensive tree damage.”

In Cohasset, officials expect power outages to be a concern, though the town has not urged evacuations, according to Police Chief William P. Quigley.

“At this point, we’re holding off on anything like that,” Quigley said in a phone interview Thursday.

Town officials will meet Friday morning, Quigley said, after they have received updated information from the National Weather Service.

Quigley said Cohasset’s municipal dump will be closed Saturday, so more Department of Public Works employees can be available for snow removal.

“We’re coordinating our efforts with the fire department, along with elder affairs and the town manager’s office,” he said. “And we’re just making sure we have all our ducks in a row.”

Bradley said that the Plymouth Fire Department called in crews scheduled to be off-duty Friday night and Saturday and placed them on duty for the storm. Officials will monitor the forecast going forward, he said, to see if further staffing boosts are needed.

He said equipment was in place, including generators and chainsaws to help clear roads if necessary.

Fire department chiefs in the area have conference calls slated with MEMA officials and Barnstable County Emergency Preparedness personnel.

He said the town has received a couple of calls asking about shelters, but officials hadn’t decided whether to open any.

In Duxbury, fire officials asked residents to shovel sidewalk areas near hydrants.

Governor Charlie Baker, who was greeted with a strong storm soon after taking office in 2015, was measured in his comments Thursday about the weekend forecast.

“The weather reports are still pretty all over the place, with respect to what it might turn into,’' Baker said during his regular appearance Thursday on WGBH Radio.. “But, you know, the one thing I learned from this experience — which really was 28 days back in 2015 — was we can take a punch around here when it comes to weather.”

In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu warned residents about the looming “snowy weekend” and said she expected a surge of 311 calls.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency highlighted the concerns facing residents who rely on medical devices powered by electricity in the event of a power outage.

Globe correspondent Nick Stoico contributed to this report.

Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.