Governor Charlie Baker implored residents to avoid traveling Tuesday, as a late-season nor’easter threatens to drop a record-breaking amount of snow on the region.

“Travel tomorrow will be significantly impacted by snow-covered roads, and rapidly falling snow, and heavy winds,’’ the governor said. “We are urging the public to please stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary and to take public transportation whenever possible.’’

Much of the state is expected to get more than a foot of snow, with up to 15 inches predicted for Boston, according to the National Weather Service.

Smaller amounts are expected in the southeastern part of the state, including as little as 4 inches on parts of the Cape and Islands. Some pockets could be blanketed by nearly 2 feet, forecasters said.

The weather service issued a blizzard warning for the high-impact storm for the eastern part of the state until late Tuesday night. Snow is expected to start along the south coast about 4 a.m. and reach Boston by around 7 a.m.

All nonemergency state offices will be closed Tuesday, and Baker encouraged people to work from home, if possible. All Massachusetts courts will also be closed.

In Boston, a snow emergency and parking ban will be in effect, starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday and lasting until local officials deem necessary, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Monday afternoon. Trash and recycling collection will operate on Tuesday, beginning at 5 a.m.

Many school districts across the region will also close Tuesday, including Boston public schools, which has had three other snow days this year, Walsh said at the afternoon press conference.

The school district will remain closed Wednesday only if necessary, he added.

The city is not expected to surpass its allotted annual $23 million snow budget this week, Walsh said. As of Monday, about $5.5 million remains in that fund.

About 780 pieces of equipment are expected on Boston roads, and city officials will have 36,000 tons of salt available to them.

“This storm that’s coming, we are going to get hit,’’ Walsh said. “We are going to get hit with significant amounts of snow.’’

If snowfall totals in the city reach forecasted levels, Tuesday’s storm has the potential to break the current Boston record for a one-day March snowfall, said National Weather Service meteorologist Stephanie Dunten.

The record, which was set in 1956, is 13.2 inches. But snow totals in Boston could hit 15 inches Tuesday, according to the weather service.

Statewide, all Tuesday or Wednesday deadlines for municipal elections — including voter registration and nomination papers — were postponed to Thursday, according to Secretary of State William F. Galvin’s office. A special election in Lynn was also postponed.

In New Hampshire, however, Governor Chris Sununu told local officials Monday afternoon they will “strongly recommend’’ that all towns stay open for their scheduled elections, he wrote in a statement, noting that some towns had differing opinions on the matter.

Massachusetts officials said Monday that the storm system track had wobbled farther west than previously expected. The shift could mean more snow in the central and western parts of the state and less along the South Shore and Cape Cod, officials said.

High winds blowing into the coast during high tide Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday morning could cause flooding, officials said. High tide is already expected to be a few feet higher than normal, said Plymouth harbormaster Chad Hunter.

“Coastal beaches are probably going to take a beating,’’ Hunter said.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency warned of high, potentially damaging winds, with gusts that could reach up to 70 miles per hour in some areas and cause power outages.

Coastal flooding is also a concern, officials said in a statement Monday morning.

Visibility at times during the storm could be near-zero, so officials are advising residents to stay inside during the storm.

Baker said the MBTA plans to run a regular schedule, but buses may be delayed or diverted. The state will not run its commuter ferries, and the commuter rail will operate on a severe weather schedule. The governor urged residents to check service online as the storm develops.

The Mattapan trolley will be replaced by buses on Tuesday.

The snow comes after a relatively mild Monday, with temperatures in the 30s and some gusting winds, said National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson.

Heavy snow will likely fall through the morning, reaching 2 to 4 inches per hour and creating whiteout conditions that will make for a dangerous morning commute.

“It won’t be good, that’s for sure,’’ Simpson said.

The snowfall is expected to gradually wind down in Greater Boston starting around 7 p.m., but commuters should expect their travel home to be even worse than the morning with less visibility on the roads, Simpson said.

“We’re assuming a very slow and arduous evening commute,’’ he said.

Tuesday’s snow will be accompanied by fairly cold weather, with lows in the 20s and highs in the mid-30s, but the winds will make the temperatures feel as though they are in the teens, forecasters said.

Boston has seen 39.2 inches of snow this winter, according to the National Weather Service. Tuesday’s storm is expected to push the city past its average total snowfall of 45 inches.

Correspondent Maddie Kilgannon and Laura Krantz of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Felicia Gans can be reached at felicia.gans@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @FeliciaGans.