By 9 p.m. Monday night, Wareham had already felt the wrath of the year's first big storm with high winds and several inches of snow having already accumulated.

With a local and state State of Emergency as well as a statewide travel ban in effect per order of Governor Charlie Baker as of midnight, mostly plows roamed the roads of Wareham Monday night save for a few brave travelers.

Before the snow, though, some of Wareham's businesses reaped the benefits of the forecasted storm.

"It's been pretty hectic," said Bob Cooney, manager of Aubuchon Hardware Store on Marion Road. "People started preparing early for the storm."

Cooney said people began arriving at Aubuchon on Sunday buying rock salt, shovels, firewood and filling up on propane.

Cooney said he has a 1,000 gallon propane tank and has pumped out all of it, nearly $1,500 worth. As of Monday afternoon he was waiting for a truck to resupply propane and has been running out of other supplies in the lead up to the storm.

"We'll be open during the storm even without power," he said.

By 8 p.m., Target in Wareham Crossing had already shuttered its doors for the evening, as had most or all of the other nearby businesses. Just prior to closing, the contents of the milk coolers and bread shelves were sparse, having been ravaged by shoppers preparing to hunker down for the storm.Target's stock of ice melt and rock salt were depleted as well.

Chris Gabriel of Mr. Chris Hair Salon also sells firewood on his property, and he said he had gone through about four cords (an approximately four-by-eight-by-four-foot stack) of wood over the weekend.

"The most I've ever gone through (in that short amount of time) is five cords," said Gabriel.

Much more snow is expected -- the national weather service has predicted as much as two to four inches of snow per hour throughout Monday night and into Tuesday, with Wareham among those expected to get the most snow -- residents are advised to stay in their homes until the travel ban is lifted.