Snow was falling in the Mid-Atlantic and New York City on Sunday. The coldest air in several years will descend across much of the country starting Monday, forecasters said.

The updated forecast on timing and track of the storm calls for the snow to end from southwest to northeast as midnight approaches. “The heaviest precipitation looks to occur between roughly 4 and 9 p.m. during which time snowfall rates could reach or exceed 1 inch per hour,” the National Weather Service said.

A winter storm is expected to reach Massachusetts Sunday afternoon and dump up to 8 in. of snow in most of the state, according to the National Weather Service. The storm is predicted to spread across the region between 3 p.