Exasperated New Englanders brace for another major snowstorm

BOSTON — Exasperated New Englanders still digging out from three major storms that left 6 feet or more of snow in many areas are bracing for what’s expected to be another punishing blast of winter this weekend.

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for all of eastern Massachusetts and coastal areas of Maine and New Hampshire ahead of a storm expected to intensify tonight and last into Sunday, bringing bone-chilling cold behind it.

Wind gusts could howl at 70 mph, and north-facing coastal areas could suffer moderate flooding and beach erosion from the “monster storm,” said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass.

“Snow amounts will not be as much as the previous big storms, but still, when you have 8 to 14 inches of snow, wind driven-snow, the cold air and the snow that is already there, it’s probably going to be very difficult for a lot of people,” he said.

The northern New England coast could see greater snowfall totals, with up to 2 feet in Southeastern Maine. Officials warned that hurricane-force wind gusts could lead to power outages.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said Friday it would suspend all rail, bus and ferry service Sunday in the Boston area, the latest in a series of disruptions for the nation’s oldest public transit network. Snow and freezing temperatures have overwhelmed the system’s aging infrastructure.

Gov. Charlie Baker urged motorists to stay off roads during the storm, but stopped short of an outright travel ban.

The storm’s off shore track could hold down snowfall totals inland, but create dangerous coastal conditions, forecasters said.