People are being encouraged to stay home and keep their cars parked this weekend as a storm brings 6 to 10 inches of snow to western Massachusetts on Saturday evening and into Sunday morning.

“For western Massachusetts, the snow comes in Saturday evening, roughly between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., and snows heavily for a period of time Saturday night,” National Weather Service meteorologist Hayden Frank said. “On Sunday, you might see areas of lighter snow continue, but the heaviest looks to be Saturday night.”

Frank said that at its heaviest, the storm will deliver 1 to 2 inches per hour to the region until midnight on Saturday. While snow will continue to fall into Sunday, the storm will move toward the eastern part of the state. Wind speeds will hover between 20 and 30 mph, which Frank said is typical for these types of storms.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch beginning Saturday afternoon and into Sunday night. The notice warns of possible power outages and encourages Massachusetts residents to stay indoors. Delaying travel plans and staying off the roads will help keep people safe and benefits street plowing as well.

“The more people can stay off the road, the better job we’re gonna be able to do. So if possible, avoid being on the roads. If you do have to be on the roads, plan extra time to get where you are,” Amherst Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Amy Rusiecki said.

Amherst DPW began taking standard storm precautions by checking plows and gathering salt supplies. Rusiecki noted that a couple of new plow drivers drove their routes on Friday to prepare for Saturday evening. The town issued a parking ban between 11:59 p.m. Saturday night and 7 a.m. on Sunday morning to prevent cars from hindering plows.

Easthampton, South Hadley and Holyoke also issued parking bans in preparation for plowing. Easthampton’s ban lasts a total of 36 hours, starting Saturday at 6 p.m. and lasting until Monday at 6 a.m.

South Hadley’s parking ban will last from 8 p.m. on Saturday until noon on Monday. The city requests that cars stay on the even side of the street on even days and the odd side on odd days. No parking is allowed on Bridge Street, Lamb Street, Bardwell Street, Main Street, Lower North Main Street or Route 116.

Holyoke’s parking ban on the even side of roads and in cul de sacs starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

For unhoused residents without shelter from the snow, Providence Ministries will open an overnight emergency shelter in Holyoke to provide lodging, two meals and a hot shower. Located at 51 Hamilton St., the shelter can be accessed at the Kate’s Kitchen door in the back parking lot. Doors open at 5 p.m. and close two hours later.

“We partner with the city of Holyoke to run the pop-up shelter based on criteria with the weather: If it’s 10 degrees or below, with a wind chill of zero or below, or a severe weather event like the snowstorm this weekend,” Providence Ministries Executive Director Jennie Adamczyk said. “We discuss it with the city and make sure the criteria is being met and then we go head and open up the shelter.”

The shelter only has 25 beds, but Adamczyk said she and her staff do their best to accommodate everyone who arrives.

“We have made a habit of not turning people away. We try to facilitate the best we can because we don’t want to see anyone in those types of conditions,” she said.

The snow will not last long: Frank said the snow will melt by midweek from incoming rain and wind storm on Tuesday and Wednesday.