"The difficulty in giving time frames is due to the fact that our power crews need to do an assessment of what the actual infrastructure issues are, and until the storm and the winds subside, workers cannot get into their bucket trucks," Beaton said.

"We are well prepared with our emergency response plan, sending crews all over our territory, bringing in extra crews and getting crews to respond to this storm," NSTAR spokesman Mike Durant said.

The National Weather Service said a 78 mph gust was reported on Nantucket, and a 72 mph one on Martha's Vineyard.
    
"It felt like sand hitting you in the face," Bob Paglia said after walking his dog four times overnight in Whitman, a small town about 20 miles south of Boston.

If the lights go out during the storm, the Massachusetts fire marshal says people should take care not to make a bad situation worse.

Stephen Coan said Monday that alternative forms of lighting and cooking during power outages can lead to fires or carbon monoxide exposure.

Coan urged residents to check their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are working, and also charge cellphones and other electronic devices before the brunt of the storm hits.

If the snowfall is deep enough, Coan says some homeowners may need to go outside and clear heating exhaust ducts of snow, since some exhaust pipes are only 2 to 2 1/2 feet above ground.

This storm could come close to rivaling the records for Boston (27.6 inches for the 2003 President’s Day storm) and Worcester (32.1 inches for the Dec. 11-12, 1992 storm).