Issuing a winter storm watch on Monday, The National Weather Service was predicting a snowy Inauguration Day, with accumulations between two and four inches.

School and city employees were busy during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday making plans and preparations to deal with the winter storm forecast.

Noting that the Suffolk Public Schools system has a “typical plan” it puts into action whenever it starts to snow, SPS spokeswoman Bethanne Bradshaw said Monday that School Superintendent Milton R. Liverman would make a decision about possible closures, late-openings or early dismissals once the city’s roads have been assessed.

Four or five drivers will be sent to various parts of the city once the snow starts to evaluate the safety of roads in those areas, Bradshaw said. Their assessments would then form the basis of Liverman’s decision.

Parents can monitor area television and radio stations for the system’s decision, she said. Any schedule change also would result in an announcement on the school system’s Web site, www.spsk12.net, along with a message via the system’s new telephone notification system, she said.

Bradshaw added that administrators would have to consider the impact a closure would have on this week’s schedule, which is already abbreviated because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and exams. Middle- and high-school students all have one exam scheduled for today and two a day for the rest of the week. Classes are set to dismiss at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday through Friday.

In a press release Monday afternoon, Suffolk spokeswoman Debbie George said that crews from the city’s public works department had “installed snow plow blades and sand and salt spreaders on approximately 15 dump trucks, with additional equipment on standby.”

“Public Works crews are currently on stand-by and ready to respond at a moment’s notice,” George said in the release. “The city manager and staff will continue to monitor the storm and road conditions throughout the night. Determinations of any city office closings will be made after conditions are assessed.”

Any closings will be announced on Suffolk Municipal channel 8.

The Weather Service in Wakefield forecast snow starting just after midnight and continuing throughout the day. High temperatures were not expected to break the freezing mark, and north winds were expected between 10 and 16 mph.

Low temperatures were expected to plunge into the low 20s tonight, and snow could continue on up to midnight.

Skies are expected to clear up and temperatures are expected to climb throughout the week, however, with Friday’s high forecast near 56 degrees.