A strong coastal storm is expected to whip up wind gusts to around 50 miles per hour in the Boston area.

High winds and rain are expected during the Monday evening commute, the National Weather Service said.

The rain is supposed to be heaviest between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., according to meteorologist Lenore Correia. Boston can expect to see more than 2 inches of rain over the next 24 hours, Correia said.

There is the potential for significant flooding in urban areas historically prone to the problem, forecasters said. A coastal flood advisory has been issued for coastal Massachusetts starting at 6 p.m. Monday.


“Pockets of minor coastal flooding expected along the eastern Massachusetts coast during this evening’s high tide,’’ forecasters wrote. “A storm surge of around 2 feet is expected.’’

West of Boston and in higher elevations, snow is expected and some areas could see accumulations of as much as 4 inches of snow, forecasters wrote.

A National Weather Service snowfall forecast map showed most of the area within Route 128 receiving no snow. Areas within I-495 are expected to get less than an inch. The highest amounts are expected along the northern edge of the state and in the far western part of the state, according to the map, which was posted on the Web..

If this were a blizzard in Boston, as opposed to the heavy rain which is expected, it could have been as much as 20 inches of snow, Correia said.

Correia said that there is no snow in the forecast for at least this coming week — which is expected to be dry.

John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JREbosglobe.