Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said the snow storm is shaping up to be the worst to hit the state since 2010, and warned that heavy snow could cause widespread power outages.
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Some Maryland road crews got stuck in lengthy backups Wednesday night, slowing their progress, state Department of Transportation spokesman Charlie Gischlar said.
The National Weather Service on Thursday upgraded their blizzard watch to a blizzard warning for the Baltimore area.
In northern Virginia, minor accidents built to gridlock and ramp closures continued through the night, Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer McCord said.
“I think there’s a pretty good chance this is going to be in the top-three storms to ever hit this area”, National Weather Service meteorologist Luis Rosa said of the powerful storm seen starting Friday afternoon.
About four to eight inches of snow is expected to fall in and around the city, but higher totals are possible if the storm stalls or rapidly intensifies. Light snow will begin late Friday afternoon into the evening and the period of most intense snow will be later Friday evening into Saturday evening with snow ending late Saturday night, according to NWS.
The watches start as early as Thursday and stretch into Saturday. This powerful winter storm will bring heavy rain, ice, sleet and accumulating snow to the South and the East Coast this weekend. “I’ve been on the road for about five hours now”, one man said. “And by Friday morning, that system will be starting to translate its energy to the Atlantic Seaboard, where rapid intensification is expected to occur”.
The city was already struggling after evening flurries on Wednesday left traffic at a standstill, even snaring President Barack Obama’s motorcade, which spent more than an hour navigating the icy streets from Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland to the White House – normally a trip of 20-25-minutes.
Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina will see a “major” impact from the storm, Karins said.
The National Weather Service said there’s a potential for 6 inches of snow or more in the region.
The significant snow accumulation is due to the storm’s long duration.
Until the storm arrives, we can expect temperatures in the low to mid 30s on Thursday and Friday.
In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s emergency management team unveiled a public service video on preparing for brutal winter weather. Most airlines have put a travel waiver in place for the Northeast through the weekend, allowing passengers to change to alternate flights without having to pay a change fee.
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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 in the capital. It will be held on Friday, the anniversary of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling legalising abortion.
