Brutal blizzard Jonas bites: 8,300 flights axed; Cars stranded for hours in Kentucky; More than a foot of snow in DC; Three inches an hour in NYC, as authorities tell 85 million to ‘stay inside!’
‘Life-threatening’ storm Jonas continues to batter the East Coast today having reached New York and New Jersey
Thousands of flights have been cancelled while motorists in Kentucky became stranded in a 35-mile traffic jam
One in seven Americans is expected to see half a foot of snow by Sunday while Washington could get four feet
New York governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency today and warned against all but essential travel
The city is currently receiving three inches of snow an hour with up to 24 inches expected by the end of today
Nine people have been killed in car accidents caused by the icy roads in Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee
Coastal flooding has been reported in New Jersey while Virginia police responded to 1,000 crashes overnight
The East Coast is battling ‘life-threatening blizzard conditions’ today as one of the most powerful winter storms in living memory continues to dump feet of snow across states from northern Georgia to New Jersey.
The National Weather Service warned that the worst is still to come for many areas as one in seven Americans could get at least half a foot of snow by Sunday, and Washington could see snowdrifts more than four feet high.
Ten states have now declared emergencies, more than 8,000 flights have been cancelled across the country, coastal flooding has been reported in New Jersey and motorists in Kentucky have been stranded in a 35-mile jam for 12 hours overnight with National Guard distributing food, water and fuel.
In New York governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency and has warned citizens to stay off the streets all day today as winter storm Jonas batters the city with wind gusts of up to 60mph with snow falling at a rate of three inches per hour.
Meanwhile in Virginia police said they responded to 1,000 crash reports overnight, with another 900 people reporting breakdowns, and across the country 170,000 people are now reported to be without power, with the vast majority in North and South Carolina.
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Ten inches of snow has already fallen in Manhattan this morning with up to 24 expected before the end of the day, and another 18 to come tomorrow as winter storm Jonas advanced up the East Coast this morning
Bryan Gold skis down 13th Street in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington earlier today as it looked almost certain that the state will break its all-time snow record with two feet having already fallen in some places
Meanwhile in Virginia people took pictures next to a massive pile of snow that was cleared from the roads earlier today
A face on the memorial to Judge John Handley, Handley High School benefactor, peers out through the more than 16 inches of blowing snow that has fallen in Winchester, Virginia, today
More than 85million Americans affected by the storm have been advised to keep their homes accessible during the storm in case emergency crews need to enter (pictured, a woman attempts to dig her car out of the snow in Washington)
A man walks in Greenwich, Connecticut, amid heavy snowfall across the East Coast that is expected to last for the rest of the weekend
Alejandro Rafalin, 5, throws snow while playing on Independence Mall with his family in Philadelphia today
Mike Aliff, left,of Richmond, hooks up a tow strap to Paul Kay’s, right, car that is stuck in the snow in Virginia earlier today
Uniform secret service officers push a police car that is stuck in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington D.C.
A worker cleans snow off the platform at the Metro North Train station in Greenwich, Connecticut, where heavy snow fell today
Up to 12 inches of snow has been reported on the grounds surrounding the White House (pictured) today as Jonas continues to batter DC
In Washington D.C. there is more than a foot of snow on the ground today while two feet is possible before Sunday, making it the worst snowfall the city has ever received
Workers in Washington D.C. have been working frantically today to try and keep roads and sidewalks open as snow continues to fall for the second day, and will not stop until Sunday
An abandoned snow shovel on Pennsylvania Avenue early in the morning during a major blizzard in Washington, D.C.
Two lawn chairs sit in the backyard of a home in the Woodridge neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C.
City roads are abandoned on F street early in the morning during a major blizzard in Washington as the city could see two feet of snow
Times Square Alliance workers shovel snow off the viewing steps as New York hunkers down under storm Jonas which hit this morning
A trooper in Virginia was injured Friday night while assisting a disabled vehicle on Interstate 64 in New Kent County. Geller said Trooper M.D. Jester is being treated for minor injuries in a Richmond hospital.
All bus services have been suspended in New York starting at midday today due to poor visibility, while subway services are under review.
Thundersnow, a rare phenomenon in which lightning and thunder occurs during a snowstorm, was also reported in Maryland where up to 20 inche of snow was on the ground this morning.
Speaking to CNN this morning, New Jersey governor Chris Christie said: ‘We are ready to get the National Guard out for evacuations if necessary and we have shelters in every county in the state.
‘People should stay inside, not only is the weather incredibly nasty but it is helping us keep roads passable. We have two to three inches falling an hour. Please stay inside, please don’t drive today.’
In Kentucky drivers have been stuck in a 35-mile traffic jam for up to 12 hours along Interstate 75 after several cars became stuck, with the National Guard delivering food, water and fuel to motorists and removing cars one by one.
The National Weather Service says that in nearly two dozen places, the amount of snow has already passed the 20-inch mark, with a full day of more snow to come.
The accumulation totals come Saturday morning as a storm treks across the country.
Not all the totals are official weather stations, but one spot in Terra Alta, West Virginia, hit 28 inches, while Oakland, Maryland, accumulated 2 feet.
The weather service’s storm tracking page reported that on the Eastern Shore, Dewey Beach, Delaware, and Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, recorded hurricane-force 75 mph winds.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser says up to 13 inches of snow have fallen in Washington, but officials are asking residents to stay off the streets as the second half of the storm moves through.
Bowser said Saturday in a news conference that people should not be driving or walking in the streets.
Bowser tells residents: ‘We need you to stay home.’
Bowser says the visibility is poor and people walking in the streets are not easily seen. Officials say there are no reported fatalities so far. Officials say they expect another possible 10 inches of snow as well as high winds.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier says even people with four wheel drive vehicles are getting stuck. Bowser again emphasized: ‘Please stay home.’
Terrence Tittle, left, and his wife Falisa get their photo taken by other tourists in Times Square in New York amid the snow today
Workers are battling to keep roads and sidewalks open in New York today after more than ten inches of snow fell this morning
A plow drives down the road in the Woodridge neighborhood in Northeast Washington where two feet of snow has already been reported
People shovel snow on the sidewalk in Washington after city officials recommended that people attempt to keep their homes accessible
A man shovels the front steps and sidewalk after more than a foot of snow fell in Washington D.C., with more expected until Sunday
A few hearty souls brave the snow in Riverside Park as steady snow hits the New York City metropolitan area on Saturday
A couple walk their dog for in the winter weather in Washington D.C. as steady snowfall was expected to continue all of today
A man clears snow off of his car as winter storm Jonas batters the East Coast with record snowfall today and is due to last until Sunday
In Maryland cars were pictured stuck underneath snowdrifts today as winter storm Jonas continues to batter the East Coast
Cars were pictured almost completely buried underneath the snow in Maryland today as snow continues to fall across ten states
New York City’s expected total was upped Friday to 18 to 24 inches. But Sullivan said ‘the winds are going to be the real problem; that’s when we’ll see possible power outages.’
Snow was forecast to start falling in New York at around 4am today, but the first flakes actually fell at around 10pm yesterday, with a steady snowfall across Manhattan by 11pm.
The result could create snowdrifts four to five feet high, so even measuring it for records could be difficult, he said.
By evening, wet, heavy snow was falling in the capital, making downed power lines more likely, and yet many people remained on the roads, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said. ‘Find a safe place and stay there,’ she beseeched.
Anyone trying to travel in this mess risks getting stuck for hours, marooned in odd places, or killed, authorities warned.
At least 10 people died in storm-related crashes before the worst of the storm, including Stacy Sherrill, whose car plummeted off an icy road in Tennessee. Her husband survived after climbing for hours up a 300-foot embankment.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency today as all bus services were suspended around the city as 60mph winds caused near white-out conditions (pictured, St Patrick’s Cathedral)
Thousands of flights have been cancelled, hundreds of thousands of people are without power and tens of thousands are at risk of coastal flooding as one of the worst winter storms in living memory takes hold (pictured, Sunnyside in Queens)
Snow is expected to keep falling all of today and overnight in New York at up to three inches per hour as people have been warned not to travel except in emergencies (pictured, Park Slope in Brooklyn)
