BRUNSWICK

The National Weather Service has announced a Blizzard Warning is in effect from 6 PM Friday to 4 PM EST Saturday for the immediate coast of Maine from Cumberland County north.

Forecasters say to expect heavy snow with blizzard conditions and accumulations of 18 to 24 inches.

A light snow will begin falling early Friday morning and conditions will rapidly deteriorate Friday evening and continue through Saturday morning. Snow will be heavy at times Friday night into Saturday morning.

The impacts include snow covered roads and low visibilities, blowing and drifting snow, northerly winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, visibilities of one quarter mile or less and temperatures ranging from 10 to 24 degrees.

A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout conditions, making travel extremely dangerous.

Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle.

Among local cancellations, delays and postponements:

A Valentine’s Day Father-Daughter ball, organized by the town’s Parks and Recreation Department and originally scheduled for Saturday evening, has been postponed a day by the impending snow storm. 

The dance instead will be held Sunday, Feb. 10, at the Harriet Beecher Stowe School from 6-8 p.m.

For more information or questions, contact Parks and Recreation at 725-6656 or online at www.brunswickme.org/parkrec.

The Amtrak Downeaster canceled its early-evening runs north- and southbound Brunswick and Freeport to Boston, meaning that the 7:05 a.m. departure from Brunswick and the 7:20 from Freeport would be the only ones of the day.

Classes were postponed in Brunswick schools, Regional School Unit 1 of Bath, RSU 5 of Freeport, RSU 75 of Topsham and RSU 12, which includes Wiscasset schools.

In  West Bath, the transfer station will not be open for public dropoff on Saturday.

There is a parking ban on all Freeport streets, until 7 a.m. Sunday, so that public works can open up the streets in the busy shopping mecca. The parking garage will remain open as will L.L. Bean — as always.