LEXINGTON STORM CENTER - Closings, Bitter Cold Temperatures

The following update features a forecast as of 6:30 p.m. on Thursday 

(Check bottom of story for Thursday's updates and reports of motor vehicle accidents) 

The first winter storm of 2014 continues Thursday night and is expected to move into Friday morning. 

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for parts of Massachusetts. You can get more details on this auto-updating map. 

Also, according to the National Weather Service, the snow will continue overnight Thursday with a possible accumulation between 6 and 10 inches. It will also be cold Thursday night with a low around 4 degrees and a windchill of -12 degrees. 

It doesn't look much better for Friday. According to the National Weather Service the snow will continue until about 2 p.m. with an additional accumulation between 2 and 4 inches possible. It will also be very cold on Friday with a high temperature near 10 degrees but with a windchill around -10 degrees. It will also be windy with gusts as high as 34 miles per hour. 

Friday night will also be cold, though clear, with a low around -9 and windchill values near -21 degrees. It will also be windy with gusts as high as 23 miles per hour. 

Current Forecasts

How much snow is Lexington expected to get Thursday and Friday? Here are the projections as of Thursday at 5 a.m.

• National Weather Service: 10-14 inches
• Channel 4, WBZ: 10-14+ inches
• Channel 5, WCVB: 9-15 inches
• Channel 7, WHDH: 8-12 inches
• Channel 25, FOX: 10-14 inches

Closings

• Lexington Schools will be closed on Friday. 
• The Cotting School will be closed Friday. 
• The Children's Center will be closed Friday. 
• Minuteman Regional High School has cancelled all afternoon and evening activities on Thursday. 

Helpful links 

• Safe winter driving tips
  
• How to Prepare Your Car for Winter Driving
• Blizzard Warning for Parts of Massachusetts
• 15 Ways to Combat the Deep Freeze

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS/INFO

• In case of emergency, dial 911
• Police Department: 781-862-1212
• Fire Department: 781-862-0271
• DPW: 781-274-8300
• National Grid power outages: 800-465-1212
• National Grid gas emergencies: 800-233-5325
• NStar power outages: 800-592-2000 or the Report an Outage form.
• Comcast: 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)
• Verizon: 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966)
• RCN: 1-866-TECH-RCN (1-866-832-4726) 
• MBTA Service updates

Updated 5:02 p.m.

Lexington Public Schools will be closed on Friday, Jan. 3 due to the weather. 

Updated 10:22 a.m.

There have been a couple accidents reported in Lexington Thursday morning as a result of the weather. 

There was an accident at 71 Grant Street shortly after 9 a.m. that was causing delays. One vehicle was on its side. The driver was able to get themselves out of the vehicle. 

Also shortly after 10 a.m. there was a report of an accident on Route 2 west at exit 56 with a vehicle into the woods. The driver was also able to self extricate from the vehicle. 

Original story: 

Get your shovels ready, Lexington. You're going to need them.

The National Weather Service has upgraded the winter storm watch to a winter storm warning.

The affected area includes Lexington. 

The first storm of 2014 is underway as the initial flakes began falling after midnight on Thursday. During the day on Thursday there will be some accumulation, though much of the snow will come Thursday night into Friday before the storm ends by Friday afternoon.

It will also be very cold. The daytime temperature on Thursday will be around 19 degrees and the temperature will dip to 6 degrees with a -10 wind-chill factor Thursday night. 

Below is what you need to know about this week's significant winter storm. We will be updating this storm center article throughout the storm, so be sure to check back throughout.