Beginning Friday night, the East Coast could be affected by a snowstorm or potential blizzard that will bring up to 2 feet to New England. The storm is expected to disrupt many cities from Virginia and Maine.

Around 65 Million People were under winter alerts as of sunrise Friday, stretching from South Carolina to New England. They included warnings about blizzards that lasted almost continuously from Virginia to Maine. These were the first warnings of blizzards that the East Coast received in more than four years.

These latest forecasts were made possible by major forecast models that finally reached better agreement on Friday. They predicted a storm track nearer the coast, which resulted in higher snowfall forecasts at all points from Washington to Boston.

The cold front that is forecast to dump light-to-moderate snow across portions of the Northeastern and mid Atlantic on Friday will be a strong force. The nor’easter is not likely to be affected by this snow.

The snow that was associated with an intensifying storm in coastal waters is expected to start along the coast of the mid-Atlantic by Friday night and move northward, increasing its intensity and coverage. As well, the chance of flooding along the coast will rise.

Saturday is still the most impactful day between New York and Boston. Heavy snow coincides with strong winds that can gust up to hurricane force. New York’s snow will be gone by noon, while Boston will see it disappear in the late evening.

By Sunday afternoon, snow is gone from the Maine coast. However gusty winds can cause snow to blow throughout the day.

According to FlightAware’s flight tracking site FlightAware, Saturday saw more cancellations than 3000 flights from, within or to the United States. The most common was in the East Coast. Boston Logan International Airport received more than 300 cancellations. New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport and LaGuardia saw 360 and 260 cancellations. New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport saw more than 295 cancellations.

The areas with the greatest snowfall will be along eastern Long Island and eastern Massachusetts. Southeast Massachusetts could see snowfall of up to 2-3 feet. These are also the areas where strong winds can be found and power outages most likely to occur.

Washington will receive light snow from Friday to Saturday, with a maximum of 1-3 inches. Philadelphia could see 4-8 inches. New York City could get as much as one foot with wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. Boston is expected to be the hardest hit on the East Coast, with an average of 18-24 inches.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared an emergency in New Jersey starting at 5 p.m. on Friday.

He stated that the storm will bring “heavy snowfall and strong wind gusts throughout New Jersey, and blizzard conditions to some parts of New Jersey.” Residents should exercise extreme caution and avoid the roads. 

In the same statement, officials also stated that storms could cause “significant numbers of power outages” because of the heavy snowfall and high winds.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, the New York Governor called Friday’s storm “deadly grave” during a press conference and asked people to stay inside. Hochul, who made Friday night’s declaration of a state emergency, asked New Yorkers not to work on Friday. She advised them to prepare for the worst.

North Carolina is currently recovering from recent storms. Gov. Roy Cooper advised residents Friday that they should “please stay put” in North Carolina if they are located in an area where going outside is dangerous.

The nor’easter will not only be the weather headline of this weekend, but the severe cold that gripped much of the East (including all the way to South Florida) will be another.

Beginning Friday, an arctic blast is expected to hit the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. High temperatures are forecasted to drop 10-20 degrees from the average.

On Sunday, cold winds will blow all the way into South Florida, where some cities like Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville could see their lowest temperatures for many years.

Miami will experience the lowest temperature since December 2010, with the low expected to fall into the upper 30s on Sunday morning.