The Massachusetts Department of Transportation cautions that weather forecasters are predicting a significant snowstorm from Monday night into Tuesday across Massachusetts. Snowfall is expected to begin tonight and winds are forecasted to be strong throughout Tuesday and part of Wednesday, which could cause widespread snow drifting and decrease visibility.

Snow will start to taper off Tuesday afternoon and end across most areas later that evening.

“Our snow and ice crews are closely monitoring the forecast, and we know this winter storm could bring over a foot of total snow accumulation to many areas as well as heavy winds that may combine with snow and reduce visibility, creating challenging driving conditions throughout the state,” said Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “Drivers should make smart decisions on whether or not they need to be on the roadways during this storm and consider measures such as delaying travel plans until after the snow has fallen.”

A blizzard warning is in effect for Essex, Plymouth, Barnstable, and Dukes Counties from 11 p.m. Monday through 8 p.m. Tuesday.

MassDOT’s snow and ice operations will be deployed as conditions necessitate. Crews are currently conducting preparation activities in advance of the winter weather and will be pretreating roadways with brine and magnesium chloride.

In the worst storms, MassDOT’s Highway Division is able to utilize up to 700 personnel to perform snow and ice removal operations on more than 15,000 lanes miles of roadway throughout the Commonwealth.

MassDOT reports that the high-occupancy lane (HOV) on I 93 between Boston and Quincy will be closed Tuesday. Commuters should factor that into their transportation plans.

For the most up-to-date information on transportation impacts, please follow on Twitter @MBTA, @MBTA_CR, @MassDOT, and @MassRMV.

For other communication modes:

• Dial 511 before heading out onto the roadways and select a route to hear real-time conditions.

• Visit www.mass511.com, a website which provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information, access to traffic cameras, and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions.

• Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app to view real-time traffic conditions.