Blizzard watch posted from Washington to New York

The storm is expected to kick off with snow and ice on Thursday followed by a major snowstorm with blizzard conditions starting on Friday.

The National Weather Service director says the ingredients have come together for a historic blizzard – complete with brutally high winds, risky inland flooding and even possible white-out and thunder snow.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted that she would declare a “snow emergency” effective Friday morning at 9:30 am (1430 GMT) and that city schools would be closed.

US Capitol Police officers patrol on their bicycles in the snow at the US Capitol in Washington DC.

The storm was expected to deliver a slightly weaker wallop to the NY and Long Island areas with blizzard conditions from Saturday morning through Sunday.

Washington D.C. received a Winter Weather Warning Wednesday night as almost two inches of snow crippled the nation’s capital.

Check back with us at weather.com and The Weather Channel for the latest on Winter Storm Jonas.

With authorities warning the storm could bury Washington under more snow than it has seen in almost a century, officials took the unusual step of shutting down the city’s rail and bus system from Friday night until Monday morning.

Here’s what to expect from a weekend blizzard forecasters said could bring one of Baltimore’s top 10 biggest snowfalls and life-threatening travel conditions.

Get more tips on winter storm preparedness from the American Red Cross.

“You want to be prepared for the possibility for a significant weather storm, but there’s a possibility it might not amount to much”, Belk said.

About four to eight inches of snow is expected to fall in and around the city, but higher totals are possible if the storm stalls or rapidly intensifies.

But meteorologist Matthew Belk said it depends on the storm’s track.

Governors in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina declared states of emergency Thursday.

Some airlines offered to waive change fees for passengers seeking to avoid flying-or getting stuck at the airport-during the storm.

Strong says that snowfall rates Friday night into Saturday could reach 1 to 3 an hour. “The latest forecast shows snow beginning early Saturday and continuing through Sunday”.

He warned of travel disruptions and power outages.

“We will treat this as a Homeland Security event”, Bowser said.

While the snow fell, some people made their way to the grocery store to stock up on needed items.

Just a month ago on Christmas Eve, the NWS reported that temperatures in New York’s iconic Central Park peaked at 22 deg C, the warmest ever for the day since records began in 1871.

“It’s insane there”, he said, adding that they were also out of salt.