It Starts Postcard-Pretty, but This Snowstorm Is Deadly

The blizzard menacing the Eastern United States could rank near the top 10 to ever hit the region, according to the National Weather Service
It Starts Postcard-Pretty, but This Snowstorm Is Deadly
Ben Cichy pulls a sled with his sons Adrian, 18-months-old, and Logan 3, inside as they head for sledding in the snow on Capitol Hill, on Jan. 22, 2016. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
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WASHINGTON—A storm that arrived postcard-pretty in the nation’s capital Friday was morphing into a painful, even paralyzing blizzard with gale-force winds pushing heavy snow and coastal flooding. 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.

The first flakes were lovely, but forecasters warned that much, much more was on its way.

Not that anyone will see the worst of it: Much heavier snow and wind gusting to 50 mph should create blinding whiteout conditions once the storm joins up with a low pressure system off the coast, said Bruce Sullivan, a forecaster at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

Two feet or more of snowfall is forecast for Washington and Baltimore, and nearly as much for Philadelphia. New York City’s expected total was upped Friday to a foot or more. But Sullivan said “the winds are going to be the real problem; that’s when we'll see possible power outages.”

Taylor Mushtare scrapes ice and snow from her car in Old Southwest Roanoke, Va., on Jan. 22, 2016.<br/>(Heather Rousseau/The Roanoke Times via AP)
Taylor Mushtare scrapes ice and snow from her car in Old Southwest Roanoke, Va., on Jan. 22, 2016.
Heather Rousseau/The Roanoke Times via AP