Washington in bullseye of potentially historic storm

More than 75 million people might come in the way of the storm and around 30 million under blizzard warnings and watches.

The capital’s subway system said it will shut down entirely late Friday night and remain closed through Sunday for the sake of employee and rider safety. Underground stations usually stay open during major snowstorms.

States of emergency have also been declared in Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

The fierce storm began dumping snow and icy rain on Virginia and Tennessee Friday morning before heading northward.

A massive blizzard swirled toward the eastern United States on Friday, one that the National Weather Service said could rank near the top 10 to ever hit the region. Snow accumulation could reach 12 inches (30 cm) in the region, forecasters said.

In an unusual move, DC mayor Muriel Bowser apologised at a press conference for the chaos caused by the light snowfall.

And it took an act of Congress, but the children of Washington will finally be able to sled down Capitol Hill, the US Capitol Police announced on Thursday.

While the storm was expected to easily paralyze the eastern third of the country, the USA capital city of Washington, D.C. was very likely to bear the brunt.

“It does have the potential to be an extremely unsafe storm that can affect more than 50 million people”, Mr Uccellini said. Snow of up to 2 feet was forecast for areas west and southwest of the Washington, D.C.

Later Saturday afternoon to Saturday night is expected to be time of the heaviest snowfall.

There’s an 80% chance that Jonas will dump at least a foot of snow in D.C. Friday afternoon through Saturday, according to the most recent National Weather Service forecast. Uccellini said it won’t be quite as bad as Superstorm Sandy, but people should expect high winds, a storm surge and inland flooding from DE to NY. Farther south, on the warmer side of the storm, severe thunderstorms and even a few tornadoes could lash portions of the Deep South and the Gulf Coast into Friday.

Five states and the District of Columbia have declared states of emergency ahead of the slow-moving system. In Memphis, where blizzard conditions are possible, salt trucks and plows are ready to clear roads of snow and ice.

“We need the city’s full cooperation”, Bowser said.

All major airlines have issued waivers for travel over the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook onto earlier or later flights to avoid the storms.

Airlines in North Carolina and Washington have also cancelled thousands of Friday and Saturday flights, with numerous 2,200 cancellations affecting travellers today. “All I need now is a wing and a prayer”, said Liz Scherer, 54, who works out of her home in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland.