Latest On Winter Storm: Coast Slammed, 11 Deaths, 1000s Lose Power, Major Flooding

A killer storm pounded much of the East Coast with an ice-hard fist Saturday, dumping more than three feet of snow in some areas that has stranded hundreds of motorists, flooded coastlines and virtually shut down every area in its path, including New York City and Washington, D.C.

The battering has killed at least 12 people, put at least 71 million Americans under weather watches and triggered states of emergency for 10 states plus the nation’s capital. Thousands of flights have been canceled nationwide, long stretches of roadways have been closed and thousands of people were without power.

And the storm is far from over.

Snow was expected to fall over much of the Northeast heading into Sunday, in some cases at a rate of up to 3 inches per hour. Winter Storm Jonas, as some are calling it, creeped its way across the country over the past week, forming in the Midwest and moving through the Southeast before turning its aim, and wrath, northward.

Here is the latest:

• Drivers in Kentucky and Pennsylvania were stranded on highways and interstates as gusting wind and pouring snow led to whiteout conditions. State troopers in Kentucky opened emergency shelters near two I-75 exits to take care of drivers. The National Guard was called in to assist motorists on the Pennsylvania Turnpike who had been stranded in some cases for more than 16 hours because of heavy snow. Those stuck included a busload of high school students, members of a college basketball team, a church congregation that held an impromptu mass on the roadway, and numerous tractor trailers and passenger cars.

• Several coastal towns were dealing with flooding. Some coastal roads are covered with several feet of water, with chunks of ice floating like icebergs. Access to all causeways leading into Ocean City were closed after Saturday morning’s high tide brought flooding to the island. The water level at the Bayside Center reached 8.04 feet mean low water, according to Ocean City officials. Following the morning high tide, water began to flow into the streets and froze.

• Snow was expected to fall for the rest of the day, bringing one to three inches per hour in many places, which could lead to records set in several of the nation’s most populous cities. In Washington, the storm was expected to shatter the capitol’s previous record of 28 inches in 1922. The record in New York City is 26.9 inches, and nearly two feet had fallen by Saturday evening.

• Glengary, West Virginia, saw the most snowfall Saturday evening, with 40 inches reported fallen.

• Washington: The mayor of the District of Columbia had a message to residents Saturday: “Stay off the streets.” The nation’s capitol had seen two feet of snow fall since Friday at 1 p.m. and is expecting more to fall through the night. Police were helping people dig out of cars, and the city could be gridlocked for days.

• New York City: Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in New York, and police said anyone on the roads after 2:30 p.m. would be arrested. All elevated subway lines were suspended as of 4 p.m. The MTA advised customers to stay at home during the storm.The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North were also suspended starting at 4 p.m.

• Northern Virginia: Snow was expected to exit the forecast in Virginia early Sunday, but communities across the region will be spending the day, and possibly Monday, digging out from the 2016 blizzard. With two feet of snow in some areas, and at least 18 inches in the best case scenario. Virginia State Police reported more than 500 motorists needed assistance with disabled vehicles

• Maryland: Most of Maryland was buried under a foot of snow or more Saturday — Dulles Airport had 23.5 inches of snow late in the day — and more was expected overnight. The heavy snow began to take a toll on roofs, with a condo in Gaithersburg, barn near Poolesville and Safeway store in Bel Air all seeing roofs buckle under the burden.

• Pennsylvania: Snowfall total estimates continue to increase. The National Weather Service predicted 24 to 30 inches of snow in the Philadelphia region, with some areas getting as much as three feet of snow. As of Saturday just before noon, many communities in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties had already reported up to 21 inches of snow. Forecasters said the snow will continue for several hours.

This story will be updated throughout the day with the latest developments from the blizzard.

Greg Hambrick, Anthony Bellano, Mary Ann Barton, Deb Belt and Kara Seymour contributed to this report.