Blizzard warnings send East Coast scrambling to prepare for heavy snow and strong winds

"The National Weather Service warned that once the storm intensifies Sunday it could prove significantly more severe than projections made just a few days ago. The weather service said 1 to 2 feet (about 30 to 61 centimeters) of snow was possible in many areas as it put out blizzard warnings for New York City and Long Island, Boston and coastal communities in New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island and Massachusetts."

""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 before stretching toward Philadelphia and New York City and reaching Boston in the evening."

"Some of the heaviest snow is projected to fall overnight Sunday, with as much as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow per hour at times in some areas, before tapering off by Monday afternoon. The weather service warned that the storm, with gusts up to 55 mph (80 kph), could cause whiteout conditions that "will make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening. The strong winds and weight of snow on tree limbs may down power lines and could cause sporadic power outages.""

Cities and towns along the U.S. East Coast prepared for a rapidly intensifying nor'easter expected to bring heavy snow and damaging winds from Maryland to Massachusetts. Forecasts called for 1 to 2 feet of snow in many areas, with snowfall rates up to 2 inches per hour overnight Sunday into Monday and potential coastal flooding in parts of New York and New Jersey. The storm was expected to move from Washington-area Sunday morning toward Philadelphia, New York City and Boston by evening. Forecasters warned gusts up to 55 mph could produce whiteout conditions, downed trees and power lines, and sporadic outages.

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