Epic blizzard with heavy snow begins to move up East Coast

Luke Skywalker · Jan 22, 2016

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[h=4]Epic blizzard with heavy snow begins to move up East Coast[/h]As much as 2 1/2 feet of snow threatens major cities.

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A massive East Coast blizzard could dump up to 30 inches of snow in some parts of Virginia and Philadelphia. Across the region, people are preparing to be snowed in for multiple days. WUSA

A man walks through heavy snow in downtown Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 22, 2016.(Photo: Erik Schelzig, AP)

WASHINGTON —*A potentially historic snowstorm whipped by gale force winds began hammering*the Mid-Atlantic coast*Friday, threatening to*shut down*big eastern cities for days with*more than 2 feet of snow,*widespread power outages and impassable roadways.
More than 85 million people — roughly one in every four Americans — in at least 20 states Friday were under by blizzard, winter storm*or freezing rain warnings*from Arkansas to the Carolinas to New York City and extreme southern New England, according to Weather.com.
Air and road travel is expected to grind to a halt throughout much of the weekend.*Airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights for Friday and Saturday across the USA by midday.*Philadelphia International Airport announced it would be closed*Saturday.*All major airlines issued waivers for the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook onto earlier or later flights to avoid the storm.
Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and parts of other states all declared states of emergencies.
Virginia*Gov. Terry McAuliffe called out an additional 200 National Guard troops Friday to supplement the 500 already at work because of the large volume of calls into state agencies.
The guard was setting up "readiness centers"*along the*Interstate 81 corridor between Lexington and Winchester and along state Route 29 from Warrenton to Danville, as well as near Richmond, Fredericksburg and Gate City, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
At least five people died in storm-related crashes in Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina, the Associated Press reported. In*Carter County, Tenn., authorities said a female driver died after her car slid off an icy road and plummeted down a 300-foot embankment, AP reported.*Officials warned residents*to stay off roads as the blizzard makes its way up*the East Coast.
In Washington, the bull's eye of the storm, the federal government shut*down at noon, as the first flakes began to fall. The region could see up to*2 ½*feet of snow and whiteout conditions are likely from the strong winds.
"This is a major storm, it has life and death implications, and all residents of D.C. should treat it that way," District of Columbia mayor Muriel Bowser said Friday. Residents should be wherever they plan to remain for the weekend by 3 p.m., she added.
"We want people to hunker down, shelter in place and stay off the roads," she said. "We need people to be in a safe place as soon as they can for their own safety and the safety of our first responders."

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At a news conference of her emergency management team, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser told residents that the coming blizzard is a matter of life and death. (Jan. 22) AP

Blizzard warnings were in effect Friday morning for the big cities of the*Mid-Atlantic and Northeast as snow and ice continued to fall across portions of the South, Ohio Valley and Appalachians.
The storm could rival the biggest snowstorms on record in Washington, D.C., potentially topping the city's all-time biggest snowfall of 28 inches from Jan. 27-29, 1922.*Philadelphia is forecast to receive up to 20 inches while*New York City could see 6-12 inches.
As the East Coast waited for the brunt of the monstrous storm, the system left misery in its wake in the*South.*In Nashville, where 8 inches of snow was expected, buses were only operating on five major corridors. All other service was suspended.
In a*battle of plow versus snow in Asheville, N.C., the snow was*taking the upper hand. By Friday morning, three inches of snow had fallen on the town,*with at least 7-10 more inches on the way.
“The call I got this morning was that we were not able to keep up with the snow enough to open up the city’s roads, so we closed down except for emergency and road crews,” said Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, according to the Citizen-Times.*“We’re focused on safety and hopefully everyone is staying home and not trying to drive on the roads. That’s pretty key in keeping everyone safe.”
The Weather Channel has named the storm Winter Storm Jonas.
In Washington, the city's entire rail and bus system will be closed Saturday and Sunday.*In New York City, some*1,000 track workers will be deployed to keep the*subway system moving, and 79 trains will have "scraper shoes" to reduce icing on rails.
The only upside of the storm in the nation's capital was the green light from the U.S. Capitol Police for sledding on Capitol Hill, which only became permissible after an act of Congress.
Otherwise, thousands of demonstrators from the abortion rights opponents group*March for Life did*not let*the impending storm and cold weather derail their annual rally and march to the Supreme Court.
USA TODAY
Top 10 snowstorms in Washington, D.C., history

Scattered to widespread power outages are likely from the storm, especially across the southern Appalachians, the western Carolinas and most of the Mid-Atlantic, according to Weather.com meteorologist Matt Sitkowski.
The storm is expect to bring*strong, gusty northeast winds will bring high surf, coastal flooding and beach erosion from southeast Virginia to Long Island and the southern New England coast by Saturday and into early Sunday.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de*Blasio declared a winter weather emergency until Saturday at midnight*and said driving should be avoided unless it is absolutely necessary.*"Stay off the roads," he said. "It's as simple as that."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who had planned to stay in New Hampshire to campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, changed plans Friday and said he would return home after all to oversee storm preparations. "I'm sorry, NH but I gotta go home - we got snow coming," he tweeted.
Over 8 inches of snow had already fallen in North Little Rock, Ark., as of Friday morning, leaving 15,000 customers without electricity. Oxford, Miss., had picked up 2 inches, while Waynesville, N.C., had seen 9 inches, the highest total from the storm so far.
Charlotte, N.C., reported freezing rain, leading to a slew of accidents. Duke Energy reported more almost 21,000 outages in North and South Carolina by*late morning,*The Charlotte Observer reports.
Snow was*covering Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. The Panthers host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday for the NFC Championship.
Nashville's 4+ inches made it the Music City's biggest snowstorm in 13 years, the weather service said.
USA TODAY
How to help others and stay safe while riding out East Coast blizzard

On the warm side of the storm, severe thunderstorms and a possible tornado battered the Gulf Coast late Thursday and early Friday. The*reported tornado touched down in Lamar County, Miss., damaging at least 12 homes. More severe weather rattled Florida on Friday afternoon.
By Sunday morning, the storm*should move off the Atlantic coast, leaving clearing skies for the day, according to Weather.com. Temperatures in many areas should climb at least a few degrees above freezing, allowing the cleanup to begin.
Contributing: Casey Swaney, The (Asheville, N.C.) Citizen-Times
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Epic blizzard with heavy snow begins to move up East Coast

Luke Skywalker

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