A snow plow driver in Kingston, Massachusetts narrowly avoided being impaled by a falling tree branch Monday while clearing snow during a blizzard.

The Kingston Police Department shared photos showing a branch that came crashing down. The limb pierced the windshield of the pickup truck.

Police said the branch, which was about six inches in diameter and several feet long, landed between the driver’s legs, “missing impaling him by inches.”

Kingston Fire and Emergency Management also posted a photo from inside the truck that shows the branch wedged underneath the steering wheel.

“Please stay off the roadways. Even those who are trying to keep the roads clear and safe are having difficulties. Luckily there was no injury to the plow operator,” the fire department said.

Police said roads are being plowed, but then become messy immediately as the snow covers them. In addition, winds are blowing branches onto power lines and into the roads.

“There is no sugar-coating this. It’s bad out here. The worst in years and it’s not over yet,” Kingston police said.

Monday’s punishing storm officially was declared a blizzard for many areas in the state. “Considerable falling and/or blowing snow which reduces visibility to less than ¼ mile for 3+ hours AND sustained winds or frequent gusts 35 mph or greater in that same timeframe” is the official criteria of a blizzard.

Several hundred thousand people in Massachusetts are without power during the storm. Some parts of the state have already reported two feet of snow.

Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency and deployed 200 members of the Massachusetts National Guard ahead of a potential blizzard that is set to slam the state.

Healey held a news conference Sunday afternoon at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) headquarters in Framingham. A potentially historic winter storm will dump snow on the state with blizzard conditions possible in some places.  

For the first time in four years, a blizzard warning has been issued by the National Weather Service in Massachusetts. The warning has been issued for the entire North and South Shores, Boston, Norfolk County, Plymouth County, Bristol County, Cape Cod, and Martha’s Vineyard.

Parts of the state, including Boston, could receive 2 feet of snow. In addition, winds are expected to be an issue for much of Massachusetts. In parts of the state, winds may reach 40-55 mph. On Cape Cod, winds could whip higher than 70 mph.

“This is a serious storm. At the outset what I want to say to the public is this is one to take seriously,” Healey said, adding “Unfortunately we do expect to see power outages and downed trees.”

The governor said declaring a state of emergency allows the state to respond quickly and deploy resources during the storm. The National Guard will be available to assist with rescue response and debris removal. 

Healey said all non-emergency government employees will be working remotely on Monday and she urges the private sector to do the same.

Many schools in the state have already canceled class on Monday, which is the first day students were scheduled to return from their winter break. School cancellations are not an issue in New Hampshire for this storm as the state’s winter break is just getting underway.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu held her own news conference Sunday, saying the storm could be “of historic proportions.” The city declared a snow emergency and parking ban and said schools will be closed on Monday. Wu also asked drivers to stay off the roads.