Storm threatens millions of Americans with heavy snow, high-speed winds on US East Coast

Washington [US], January 29 (ANI): A nor'easter churning along the US East Coast on Saturday with a dangerous mix of heavy snow and high-speed winds could develop into a historic storm threatening millions of Americans.
According to forecasters, the strorm threatens blizzard conditions and coastal flooding on East Coast and could be a historic storm in parts of New England, reported CNN.
Nearly 55 million people, stretching from the Mid-Atlantic to New England, were under winter weather alerts on Saturday morning.
Whiteout conditions are expected across the region, and several governors declared states of emergency as they urged residents to stay off roads.
There are also warnings of coastal flooding and the possibility of power outages due to downed utility lines, reported CNN.
Between 2 to 6 inches of snow had fallen early Saturday in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast -- with more on the way.
More than 12 inches of snow are expected to blanket parts of the Mid-Atlantic Coast through eastern New England, the NWS Weather Prediction Center said Friday afternoon.
The Boston metro area faces the potential of more than 2 feet of snow that's expected to collect quickly. Snow is projected to fall at rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour in some locations, reported CNN.
Blizzard warnings issued Friday covered 10 million people across 10 states in coastal counties from Virginia to New England -- but excluding New York City.
Notable locations within the warning are Portland, Maine; Boston and Cape Cod, Massachusetts; the eastern half of New York's Long Island; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Ocean City, Maryland.
The difference in storm timing -- even as few as six hours -- would make a massive difference in impact on coastal flooding and erosion concerns.
More than 3,500 flights within, into or out of the US have been canceled Saturday, according to FlightAware. (ANI)