Be prepared for possible power outages and complicated travel. A winter storm warning is in effect for much of the Mass.

Elsewhere in Massachusetts, including eastern Essex, western Norfolk and the counties of Suffolk, a winter storm warning is in place from 1 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday. Between 4 and 8 inches of snow is likely, according to the NWS.

From 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday, a storm warning is in effect for the counties of central Middlesex and West Essex, according to the NWS. A total snowfall of 6 to 12 inches is expected in these counties.

In the counties of East Franklin, East Hampshire and East Hampden, a winter storm warning is in place from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday. This part of the state, according to the NWS, can expect 5 to 10 inches of snow.

Worcester and north-west Middlesex counties are expected to see the most snowfall, with the NWS exceeding between 8 and 14 inches. A winter storm warning is in place from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday in the area.

Winter weather advisories have also been issued for parts of Massachusetts. A notice is in effect for West Franklin, West Hampshire and West Hampden Counties from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. This area, according to the NWS, can expect between 2 and 4 inches of snow.

A warning was also issued for parts of eastern and southeastern Massachusetts from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday, including the cities of Taunton and Plymouth. Strong gusts of wind – nearly 60 miles per hour – are expected in this area, with between 2 and 5 inches of projected snow.

Widespread rains are likely to occur across much of the region, forecasters say. Temperatures generally range from the upper 30th to mid-forties.

Snowfall amounts, forecasters say, will be greatest in “the counties of Worcester County in the Merrimack River Valley”. These areas are likely to accumulate more than 6 inches of snow.

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, snowfall rates could exceed 2 inches per hour, forecasters said. This could result in power outages and difficult traveling conditions.

“It is not out of the question that there could even be thunderstorms,” ​​forecasters said.

Along Massachusetts’ east coast, high winds exceeding 50 miles per hour are likely from Saturday afternoon to late evening, forecasters say.

Forecasters said if the air mass had been closer to “seasonal cold” then this storm would have been “a successful snowfall event with 1 to 2 feet of widespread snow.” Instead, the storm will start with rain that will sometimes get heavy during the morning hours.

In central Massachusetts, the rain is expected to turn to heavy, wet snow between mid to late morning, forecasters say. This change will happen on the highest terrain in the region first and then affect the rest of the region.

After this transition, forecasters expected snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour. About 8 to 14 inches of heavy, wet snow is expected in the central part of the state, forcing forecasters to warn of “major power outages and very difficult travel.”

In eastern Massachusetts, the transition from rain to snow is expected to begin mid to late afternoon. Northeastern Massachusetts – and possibly the Boston area – could “see moderate to heavy snow in the early evening,” forecasters said.

Heavy rains can “lead to pockets of urban street flooding and poor drainage,” forecasters said.

Southeastern Massachusetts could see between 2 and 5 inches of snow, forecasters said. Due to the storm moving eastward, western Massachusetts will likely only see “level snowfall with marginal temperatures”.

A strong wind warning was also issued for the coastal county of Essex as well as the coastal county of Plymouth, Cape Cod and the Islands from 1pm this afternoon to midnight. Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are possible on Saturday night, forecasters said.

Scattered power outages and downed trees are possible due to the wind.

Forecasters advised people to avoid being outdoors “in wooded areas and around trees and branches.”

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Shannon Larson can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @ shannonlarson98.