Traffic on I-40 in Nashville today.The blizzard menacing the Eastern United States could rank near the top 10 to ever hit the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Snowfall as heavy as 1 to 3 inches an hour could continue for 24 hours or more in the area, said meteorologist Paul Kocin with the service's Weather Prediction Center. That puts estimates at more than 2 feet for Washington, a foot to 18 inches for Philadelphia and 8 inches to a foot in New York.
Kocin compared the storm it to "Snowmageddon," the first of two storms that "wiped out" Washington in 2010 and dumped up to 30 inches of snow in places, but he said the weekend timing and days of warning could help limit deaths and damage.
Some roads in southwest Virginia were already seeing deteriorating conditions Friday morning as the storm moved north.
At a supermarket in Baltimore, Sharon Brewington stocked her cart Thursday with ready-to-eat snacks, bread, milk and cold cuts. In 2010, she and her daughter were stuck at home with nothing but noodles and water.
"I'm not going to make that mistake again," she said.
A vehicle travels on Winding Way after heavy regional snowfall blanketed the area Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.Also read
* Winter storm shutdown to impact Chattanooga area* Snow, freezing rain fall across much of Tennessee * Frigid Friday: Tennessee could see more snow, ice today* Tennessee declares state of emergency ahead of 'blizzard-like conditions'* Approaching winter storm triggers warnings, watches for region* All Friday athletic events in Hamilton County have been postponed * Storm could bring freezing rain, high winds to north Georgia* Forecasters: Strong storms, snow possible in Alabama* At least 4 killed in snowstorm-related deaths
Tennessee Highway Patrol photo from Jackson, Tenn., area.As food and supplies vanished from store shelves, five states and the District of Columbia declared states of emergency ahead of the slow-moving system. Schools and government offices closed pre-emptively. Thousands of flights were canceled. College basketball games and concerts were postponed.
The snowfall, expected to continue from late Friday into Sunday, could easily cause more than $1 billion in damage and paralyze the Eastern third of the nation, weather service director Louis Uccellini said.
"It does have the potential to be an extremely dangerous storm that can affect more than 50 million people," Uccellini said at the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.
The director said all the ingredients have come together to create a blizzard with brutally high winds, dangerous inland flooding, white-out conditions and even the possibility of thunder snow.
Washington looks like the bull's eye of the blizzard, Uccellini said. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama would hunker down at the White House.
"It's going to be dangerous out there," said Tonya Woods, 42, a Washington Metro station manager who lives in suburban Clinton, Maryland. "I say they should shut things down."
Late Thursday, she got her wish when the federal government announced that its offices would be closing at noon Friday. The capital's subway system had announced earlier in the day that it will shut down entirely late Friday night and remain closed through Sunday for the sake of employee and rider safety. Underground stations usually stay open during major snowstorms.
New York City is just inside the storm's sharp northern edge, which means it is likely to see heavy accumulations, but Boston will probably get off easy this time, forecasters said.
Unfortunately, more than just snow is coming. Uccellini said it won't be quite as bad as Superstorm Sandy, but people should expect high winds, a storm surge and inland flooding from Delaware to New York. Other severe but non-snowy weather is likely from Texas to Florida as the storm system chugs across the Gulf Coast, gaining moisture.
States of emergency were declared in Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and parts of other states, where road crews were out in force Thursday. Blizzard warnings or watches were in effect along the storm's path, from Arkansas through Tennessee and Kentucky to the mid-Atlantic states and as far north as New York.
Some places were looking forward to the snow. The ski resorts that had gotten a late jump on the start of the season due to record warm temperatures in December.
The storm that arrived Friday was expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow in West Virginia.
"There is never too much snow on the slopes," said Joe Stevens, spokesman for the West Virginia Ski Areas Association. "Where it becomes a challenge is on the roads leading to and from the resorts. This is going to be a whole bunch of snow and keeping up with it is going to be the trick."
Train service could be disrupted as well, by frozen switches, the loss of third-rail electric power or trees falling on overhead wires. About 1,000 track workers will be deployed to keep New York City's subway system moving, and 79 trains will have "scraper shoes" to reduce icing on the rails, the Metropolitan Transit Authority said.
All major airlines have issued waivers for travel over the weekend, allowing passengers to rebook onto earlier or later flights to avoid the storms. The flight tracking site FlightAware estimates airlines will cancel at least 2,000 flights Friday and another 3,000 Saturday, which is the slowest travel days of the week. By Sunday afternoon, however, the airlines hope to be back to full schedule.
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. It will be held Friday, the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision.
The U.S. Capitol Police said sledding on Capitol Hill - which only recently became legal after an act of Congress - would be welcome for the first time in decades, as long as conditions are safe.
LOCAL CLOSURES, EARLY DISMISSALS
* Hamilton County Schools will dismiss 1 hour and 45 minutes early beginning with the early start schools at 12:30 p.m. School Age Child Care will be closed this afternoon.
* Georgia Northwestern Technical College will close at noon.
* Bradley County Schools will dismiss today at 1:45 p.m.
* Chattanooga State is closing at 4 p.m. There will be no evening classes and they will be closed Saturday.
* Chattanooga State is closing at 4 p.m.
* UTC is closing at 3 p.m. today and all day Saturday. All events closed.
* All Hamilton County athletic events have been postponed.
* All Tennessee emissions testing stations are closed.
* Fannin County Public Health Department is closed.
* Gilmer County Public Health Department is closed.
* Whitfield County Schools will close early today because of the weather forecast. Elementary schools will close at 1 p.m. and middle and high school will close at 2 p.m.
* All school-related activities scheduled for Saturday are canceled for Whitfield County Schools.
* All Tennessee state offices will be closed today.
* Chickamauga City Schools will have regular school hours today. All extracurricular activities this evening and Saturday are cancelled. Aftercare will close at 4 p.m.
* The Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority has announced that it's four facilities in Whitfield County will close early at 3 p.m. today due to inclement weather. Locations include the Old Dixie Landfill & Convenience Center, McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center in Cohutta, Westside Convenience Center in Rocky Face, and the M.L. King Blvd. Convenience Center in Dalton.
* The North Georgia Health District office in Dalton and Public Health Departments in Cherokee, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield Counties will close today at noon - this includes all WIC and Children's Health Services.
* Saturday's UTC men's basketball game against VMI has been postponed.
* UTC and McCallie have postponed administering Saturday's scheduled SAT tests on their sites until Feb. 20.
* The College Goal TN: Framing the Future conference that was to take place Saturday on the campus of UTC has been canceled.
* Virginia College will have no evening classes tonight and will be closed Saturday
PREPAREDNESS MEASURES
AT HOME Be sure you have adequate clothing and blankets to keep you warm. Have sufficient heating fuel for your home. Store a good supply of dry, seasoned wood for your fireplace or wood-burning stove. Bring pets and companion animals inside during winter weather. Move other animals or livestock to sheltered areas with non-frozen drinking water. If pipes freeze, remove any insulation or layers of newspapers and wrap pipes in rags. Completely open all faucets and pour hot water over the pipes, starting where they were most exposed to the cold (or where the cold was most likely to penetrate). Maintain ventilation when using kerosene heaters to avoid build-up of toxic fumes. Refuel kerosene heaters outside and keep them at least three feet from flammable objects. If you go outside, watch for signs of frostbite (loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities) and hypothermia (uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion). Seek warm shelter and medical treatment immediately for frostbite and hypothermia symptoms. ON THE ROAD Have a winter safety kit in your car with water, food, first aid supplies, blankets, gloves, heavy boots, food, flashlight, extra batteries, and warning lights or flares. Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route. Call *THP (*847) if you get stranded to be connected to the closest Tennessee Highway Patrol dispatch location. Call 511 for traffic information from the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Monitor local radio and television broadcasts, and NOAA Weather Radio, for updates on weather forecasts and conditions. STAY INFORMED Listen to NOAA Weather Radio for winter weather watches and warnings. Monitor local radio and television stations for updates on weather and road conditions. Download the ReadyTN smartphone app to get weather, road conditions and emergency preparedness information on your smartphone.