A storm that arrived postcard-pretty in the nation's capital last night was morphing into a painful, even paralyzing blizzard with gale-force winds pushing heavy snow and coastal flooding as at least 10 people have been killed.
One in seven Americans could get at least half a foot of snow by Sunday, and Washington could see snowdrifts more than four feet high.
The first flakes were lovely, but forecasters warned that much, much more was on its way.
Not that anyone will see the worst of it: Much heavier snow and wind gusting to 50 mph should create blinding whiteout conditions once the storm joins up with a low pressure system off the coast, said Bruce Sullivan, a forecaster at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
Two feet or more of snowfall is forecast for Washington and Baltimore, and nearly as much for Philadelphia.
New York City's expected total was upped Friday to a foot or more. But Sullivan said 'the winds are going to be the real problem; that's when we'll see possible power outages.'
The result could create snowdrifts four to five feet high, so even measuring it for records could be difficult, he said.
By evening, wet, heavy snow was falling in the capital, making downed power lines more likely, and yet many people remained on the roads, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said. 'Find a safe place and stay there,' she beseeched.
Anyone trying to travel in this mess risks getting stuck for hours, marooned in odd places, or killed, authorities warned.
https://archive.is/kCZ8O
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3411364/Monster-blizzard-bearing-eastern-US.html