BOSTON -- A coating of heavy, wet snow fell over much of Massachusetts on Saturday evening, sending snow plows and salting trucks onto the roadways to clear up snow piles that could top half a foot in some towns.

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The snow fell rapidly Saturday evening and quickly made some major roads treacherous. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation lowered the speed limit on all state roads to 45 mph.

"There were a few spin-outs on Routes 295, 84 and 290," said Massachusetts State Police Lt. David Wilson.

Route 1 north of Boston saw most motorists driving well below the speed limit.

Rain gradually shifted to snow from west to east in the afternoon, with the first flakes reaching Dalton on the western border at about 3 p.m. The precipitation transitioned into snow in the eastern portion of the state a few hours later.

Even with temperatures at or slightly above freezing, the snow came down hard enough to stick on the roads.

A general accumulation of 3 to 6 inches fell in the Worcester area and central Massachusetts.

Between routes 128 and 495, 2 to 4 inches fell. Boston got about 2 inches. The South Shore and Cape Cod saw a messy mix of snow and rain.

Winter supplies were in stock at the Home Depot in Worcester, where customers stacked bags of ice melt and shovels into shopping carts as the rain turned to wet snowflakes.

“There seems to be a lot of anxiety because of the ice storm last year,” said a manager at the store. “As soon as people hear snow, they’re coming in. It’s all snow shovels, ice melt and windshield washer fluid at this point, but it’s been pretty busy.”