Blizzard warnings issued from Delaware to Massachusetts as storm threatens East Coast

"The National Weather Service increased its assessment of the potential severity of a storm that was projected to be much milder only days earlier. The weather service said 1 to 2 feet (about 30 to 61 centimeters) of snow was possible in many areas as it issued blizzard warnings for New York City and Long Island, Boston and coastal communities in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Flooding was also possible in parts of New York and New Jersey, it said."

""While we do get plenty of these nor'easters that produce heavy snow and strong impacts, it's been several years since we saw one of this magnitude across this large of a region in this very populated part of the country," said Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the service's Weather Prediction Center. Snell said the storm would arrive Sunday morning in areas around Washington, then stretch toward Philadelphia and New York City, reaching Boston in the evening."

"The weather service warned that the storm, with steady winds of 25 to 35 mph (40 to 56 kph) would "make travel dangerous, if not impossible. Scattered downed tree limbs and power outages are possible due to snow load and strong winds." The weather service said the storm could begin as rainfall in some places before worsening, with the heaviest snowfall expected at night and as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow per hour at times in some areas, before tapering off by Monday afternoon."

A rapidly intensifying nor'easter is forecast to hit the U.S. East Coast with blizzard warnings across New York City, Long Island, Boston and multiple coastal communities. One to two feet of snow is possible in many areas, with localized snowfall rates up to two inches per hour at night. Steady winds of 25 to 35 mph will create hazardous travel and raise risks of downed tree limbs and power outages. The storm may begin as rain in some locations, will reach Washington-area locales Sunday morning and Boston by evening, and should taper by Monday afternoon.

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