Residents of the US East Coast are bracing for a powerful storm that could dump 2 feet or more of snow on some of the nation’s largest cities.
The Nor’easter is expected to impact New England and the Mid-Atlantic region this weekend, leading to potential coastal flooding, power outages and travel disruptions.
Airlines have already canceled more than 5,000 flights scheduled to depart between Friday and Saturday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. More than 8,500 flights have been delayed.
Blizzard warnings
Parts of 10 states were placed under blizzard warnings.
The National Weather Service said the storm was developing as a low pressure system off the southeast coast and would likely gain strength as it moved up the east coast.
It issued a blizzard warning Friday for the Boston metro area and its nearly 4.9 million residents.
“Expect whiteout conditions and near impossible travel at times. Strong to damaging winds will cause scattered power outages. In addition, significant coastal impacts are possible including coastal flooding and erosion beaches,” the weather service said.
Rapid snowfall and strong winds
Forecasters said up to 2 feet of snow could fall in the area, at speeds as fast as 5 inches per hour, as well as gusts of 70 mph early Saturday.
Winter storm advisories and warnings were put in effect from the Carolinas to Maine, where snow was expected to begin Friday afternoon and is expected to continue Saturday.
Photos on social media showed shoppers crowding into grocery stores and stocking up on essentials ahead of the storm.
