What began as a blizzard watch for the Merrimack Valley has now been upgraded to a blizzard warning. 

The National Weather Service issued the warning for the majority of Eastern Massachusetts Thursday afternoon, as it anticipates about 2 feet of snow to descend upon the area Friday into Saturday.

"White out conditions are anticipated as roads become snow-covered by the Friday evening commute," the warning states. "Strong north-northeast winds are anticipated with gusts up to around 60 miles per hour, resulting in blowing and drifting of snow. Damage to trees and structures along with scattered power outages are anticipated."

We could see snow falling at 3-to-4 inches per hour and wind gusts of more than 20 miles per hour.

Stay tuned for updates with the North Andover Patch Storm Center.