Around 50 million Americans are bracing for extremely cold weather and snow storms this weekend as what the weather channel has dubbed “Storm Jonas” hits the East Coast.
Up to two feet of snow is forecast, and is expected to sweep across parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Washington, Baltimore, New York City and Boston, as reported by AccuWeather.
“An all-out blizzard will unfold in some areas,” the report read, predicting highway and airport closures.
It will start in parts of the South and Ohio Valley on Friday and expand slowly in a north-easterly direction, finally leaving New England on Sunday.
Meteorologists have warned that it remains unclear as to where the storm will hit hardest and exactly how much snow will fall.
Viriginia's government has declared a state of emergency, leaving people trapped on the highway for six hours as they made their way home after work on Wednesday night due to just one inch of snowfall, according to CNN.
The New York Times reported that Washington is planning to rope in the National Guard before the weekend. Mayor Bowser told reporters on Wednesday that her biggest concern was power losses, open warming centers and extending outreach to the homeless.
Coastal flooding is also a possibility. RT revealed that New York has been granted an additional $176 million to increase against flood protection.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city’s subway system would likely remain open, after he faced criticism for shutting down public transport last January for the first time in history ahead of a storm that failed to materialize.
