A winter storm of potentially historic proportions headed into the SouthCoast on Sunday night into Monday morning.

A winter storm of potentially historic proportions that could rival the fabled Blizzard of 1978 headed into the SouthCoast on Sunday night into Monday morning, slamming Fall River with heavy snow, strong winds and blizzard conditions. Strong east-to-northeast winds was predicted to trigger coastal flooding, especially along parts of Massachusetts.

According to the weather service, a blizzard requires sustained winds over 35 mph, visibility of less than one-quarter of a mile, and large amounts of falling or blowing snow for at least three hours. Wind and visibility serve as the defining factors rather than the amount of snow that falls.

The steady snow will begin to wrap up after 2 AM with scattered snow showers remaining through dawn Monday. Monday itself will only see a few scattered snow showers, but overall the majority of the snow is long gone. Winds will be stronger though on the back side of the storm with gusts likely between 30 and 40 mph.

Emergency rooms often see an increase in shoveling-related injuries once the snow stops, ranging from muscle strains to cardiac stress, especially when the snowfall is thick and heavy.

New winter storm watches were issued on Friday ahead of a winter storm set to blanket the Northeast with heavy snow.

A foot to 18 inches of snow is possible for Boston, communities on the North Shore, coastal points along the South Shore, and across the Merrimack Valley. Up to a foot of snow is possible in Worcester County up to the New Hampshire border. “The farther north and west you go, those totals will taper slightly,” Graf said.

Fans of Pittsford native Chris Lillis will have to wait until Friday to see him ski.