BOSTON (AP) - A major winter storm heading toward New England could dump as much as 2 feet of snow on the region.

The National Weather Service says the storm is expected to begin Friday morning and continue into Saturday night as it moves past New England and upstate New York.

A blizzard watch for parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island says travel may become nearly impossible because of high winds and blowing snow. A coastal flood watch is in effect for some shore communities.

Operators of some ski areas in Massachusetts are excited by the prospect of the first major snowstorm they've seen since October 2011. Christopher Kitchin, inside operations manager at Nashoba Valley Ski Area in Westford, Mass., says people are eager to go skiing, snow-tubing and snowboarding.