Tens of millions hunker down to ride

Along with the northern edge of the heavy snow, winds will be significantly less well north and west of the storm center.

The first flakes were lovely, but forecasters warned that much, much more was on its way.

Blizzard warnings stretch from northeastern Virginia to New York City, with much of the worst still to come throughout the day Saturday.

That puts estimates at more than 2 feet for Washington and Baltimore, a foot to 18 inches for Philadelphia and 8 inches to a foot in NY. New York City’s expected total was upped Friday to a foot or more. “And then we’ll see what Mother Nature has in store for us as we go on”, he told MSNBC.

The result could create snowdrifts 4 to 5 feet high, so even measuring it for records could be hard, he said.

Anyone trying to travel in this mess risks getting stuck for hours, marooned in odd places, or killed, authorities warned.

Six people were killed in road accidents in North Carolina, and deaths were also reported in Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia, officials said. Her husband survived after climbing for hours up a 300-foot embankment.

– 989 traffic crashes and 793 disabled vehicles responded to by Virginia State Police as of late Friday night.

Conditions quickly became treacherous all along the path of the storm. Two tornadoes arrived along with the snow in Mississippi.

City police chief Cathy Lanier said whiteout conditions – virtually zero visibility – had been reported and urged residents to stay indoors so snowploughs could work to clear the streets. Other severe but non-snowy weather is likely from Texas to Florida as the storm system chugs across the Gulf Coast, gaining moisture.

A powerful storm is barrelling toward Washington, threatening to bury parts of the Middle Atlantic region under deep snow and bring the nation’s capital to a virtual standstill. Freezing rain is forecast to continue into Friday evening. By early afternoon, areas near Washington had surpassed 30 inches, according to the weather service’s running totals. These will likely cause power outages and sporadic damage.

In Kentucky, Gov. Matt Bevin declared a state of emergency.

At least meteorologists appear to have gotten this storm right.

“I want to be very clear with everybody”.

The city is also on alert for coastal flooding due to high tides, with resources being “prioritised” for the Long Island and New York City areas. Boston will probably get off easy this time, forecasters said. Travel bans for nonemergency vehicles are in effect until Sunday morning in New York City and Baltimore. Nashville, Tennessee, was gridlocked by accidents. Schools have been closed.

Parts of Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Georgia saw 6 inches and more.

Before ending sometime on Saturday, it could leave about 60cm of snow.

The order, effective mid-afternoon, shut down state highways and two major routes on Long Island. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender, left the campaign trail in New Hampshire to oversee the emergency response in his snowbound state.

“We’re thrilled”, said Hank Thiess, general manager at Wintergreen ski resort in central Virginia, who was expecting 40 inches of dry, powdery snow. In New York, 600 National Guard personnel were on standby. The governor asked people to be smart and stay off roadways on Saturday. President Barack Obama, hunkering down at the White House, was one of many who stayed home.

One major event in Washington was still on: the March for Life, an annual anti-abortion rally that’s usually one of the largest events on the National Mall. Drivers out on the road for non-emergencies can now be arrested. You can see reported accumulations so far on the NWS site.

Airlines canceled almost 7,000 weekend flights and started to cut Monday service. By Sunday afternoon, however, the airlines hope to be back to full schedule.

One of the unlucky travelers stranded by the storm was Jennifer Bremer of Raleigh, N.C. Bremer flew into Chicago on Thursday morning, carrying only a briefcase, for what she thought would be less than a day of meetings. Philadelphia’s airport said it would cancel all flights scheduled for Saturday. “I wish I could get there, but I can’t”. I’m waiting on a phone call from her. …

“I’ve been driving a cab 28 years, but this looks like the worst”. Police and passers-by helped free him.

– Also in New York City, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspend all of its bus service at noon Saturday.

Even so, there were no reports of evacuations along the New Jersey Shore, where thousands of residents had to abandon their homes during the devastating 2012 storm.

Includes information from the Charlotte Observer, the Lexington Herald-Leader, the (Raleigh) News & Observer and (Columbia, SC) The State.