Massive U.S. blizzard moves north, leaves 8 dead

PanARMENIAN.Net - A massive blizzard bringing more than 60cm of snow and punishing winds is advancing up the U.S. East Coast, BBC News reports.

More than 50 million people across more than a dozen states have been warned to stay at home as it moves north.

The nation's capital, Washington, could lie under a record 76cm of snow by the time the storm passes on Sunday, Jan 24.

Eight people have been killed, six states have declared states of emergency, and thousands of flights have been cancelled.

The weather system affects a huge swathe of the country, from Arkansas in the south to Massachusetts in the north-east. Supermarkets ran out of food amid a rush for supplies before the first snowflakes fell on Friday.

Washington's mayor, Muriel Bowser, said this was a major storm with "life and death implications".

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the worst of the snow would fall in the Washington area from the early hours of Saturday to the early afternoon, with winds of more than 50mph (80kph).

In a warning at 02:17 (07:17 GMT), NWS tweeted that an "intense snow band" was moving through the area.

A webcam of Washington's National Mall showed the "near-whiteout conditions" the NWS warned of.

Residents in the capital and surrounding suburbs in Virginia and Maryland have been warned the snowfall could eclipse the district's record of 28in that fell during a two-day period in 1922.

As the weather system approached the country's most populous city, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents to be ready.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, returned from the campaign trail in New Hampshire to take charge of snow preparation.

Public transport is at a standstill and over 6,000 flights have been delayed or cancelled.