East Coast Snowstorm Forecast: 'Threat to Life and Property,' Could 'Isolate' Towns

A potentially crippling snowstorm moved toward the Eastern seaboard, triggering blizzard watches and states of emergency from Virginia up the East Coast to New York City and Long Island, as preparations got underway to battle threats of massive flooding, widespread power outages and heavy snow that could drift several feet high.

The National Weather Service warned that the snow will “cause dangerous conditions and will be a threat to life and property” in Washington and Baltimore, where the brunt of the storm was expected to be felt. Winds up to 55 miles per hour were forecast, and 18 to 24 inches of snow could fall in the area.

The New York City area, including most of Long Island, could get eight to 12 inches of snow beginning Friday night and into Sunday, while southern New Jersey and Delaware could get anywhere from six to 14, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm could shut down roads and airports, cause power outages and knock down trees. Several major airlines waived change fees for flights over the weekend through affected cities.

“Crews may not be able to keep up with the storm in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, southern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware and Maryland,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity said.

“Some communities could be isolated for a few days.”

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe warned residents to stay off the roads and authorized the state’s national guard to bring as many as 500 people on active duty to help with severe weather response.

Blizzard watches were issued in Virginia, along with parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.

The storm was expected to dump snow on more than 15 states, including North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia.

The Weather Channel said that, “As of Thursday morning, just over 73 million - or roughly one in every four Americans - were covered by either a blizzard watch, winter storm watch, winter storm warning, winter weather advisory, or freezing rain advisory from southeast Nebraska to the Carolinas to the New York City metro area.”

Massachusetts, which last year set a record for snowiest winter on record, was expected to miss most of the major snow.

While the snow and ice were getting much of the attention, weather experts warned of another danger: coastal flooding.

The full moon already had tides running high, and offshore winds from the storm will threaten “parts of the eastern seaboard from the Delmarva through coastal Connecticut this weekend (including coastal New York) during the morning and evening high tides,” the Weather Channel’s Michael Lowry wrote.

“This means the possibility of extensive flooding of low lying homes and businesses near the coast and flood-prone roadways that could require localized evacuations,” Lowry said. “Additionally, substantial beach erosion is possible along exposed coastlines.”