Flights Cancelled As Storm Hits US East Coast

A winter storm that could bury parts of the Middle Atlantic region under nearly 3 feet of snow slammed into Washington, DC on Friday afternoon, threatening the nation's capital with record accumulations as it barrels up the populous East Coast.

Airlines cancelled nearly 6,300 flights for Friday and Saturday, most of them at airports in the New York and Philadelphia areas, according to FlightAware.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio asked people to limit travel to "absolute emergencies" as he declared a winter weather emergency for the city.

"There will be white out conditions," he said at a press conference ahead of the storm's arrival, which is expected after midnight. New York accumulations could reach 18 inches (30 cm), with winds gusting to 50 miles per hour (80 kph), creating blizzard conditions.

After days of planning by emergency officials and a scramble by residents to stock up on supplies, the blizzard started blanketing the Washington area at about 1 pm.

The storm, expected to end late on Saturday afternoon, could leave 2 to 2.5 feet (61 to 76 cm) on the ground and bring winds of 30 to 50 mph (48 to 80 kph), according to the National Weather Service.

The western suburbs of the capital were expecting up to 3 feet, leading the Virginia National Guard to bring in up to 300 troops to deal with emergencies. In New York, 600 National Guard personnel were on standby.

"I want to be very clear with everybody. This is a major storm," Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said as the city braced for what could turn out to be one of the worst storms in its history. "This has life-and-death implications and all the residents of the District of Columbia should treat it that way."

Despite the dire warnings, only four fatalities in weather-related car crashes had been reported as of Friday afternoon, all of them in North Carolina.

The Weather Channel said more than 85 million people in at least 20 states were covered by a winter weather warning, watch or advisory.

Southeastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, was expecting 10 to 18 inches (25 to 45 cm) of snow.

Residents along New Jersey's coastline were preparing for potential flooding during high tides on Saturday and Sunday. In the beach community of Ocean City, emergency management officials warned of forecasts calling for the highest flood levels since Superstorm Sandy brought heavy damage in 2012.

High winds and a full moon could combine to create a high tide of nearly 8 feet (2.4 m) in Atlantic City, officials said.

In New York City, the NWS issued coastal flood warning for the boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens as the city officials prepared for possible evacuations from low-lying areas.

SCRAMBLE FOR SUPPLIES

The storm arrived in the Washington area, home to about 6 million people, after pushing across Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky. It dropped 5 inches (13 cm) of snow in Arkansas and a wintry mess of snow, sleet and freezing rain in parts of Tennessee and Kentucky.

In addition to several inches of snow, the Charlotte, North Carolina, area could get up to a half inch of ice, causing concerns about power outages and dangerous driving conditions, officials said. Other parts of the state could get a foot of snow.

Federal offices in the Washington area closed at noon on Friday to allow employees to get home before the snow began piling up. City officials said everyone except emergency workers should stay off the streets.

In anticipation of the blizzard, many residents had scrambled to prepare, picking stores clean of bottled water, food and other supplies.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which includes the second-busiest US subway system, took the rare step of suspending operations from late Friday through Sunday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates New York City subway and commuter rail lines, expected to operate normal service, Cuomo said, as did New Jersey Transit.