An enormous Blizzard bringing more than 2ft (60cm) of snow and punishing winds is advancing up the US East Coast. 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 30in (76cm) of snow by the time the storm passes on Sunday. 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.
Governors in at least 10 states declared states of emergency, and travel was disrupted in at least five major airport hubs, with 6,300 flights canceled on Friday and Saturday and 4,675 more delayed. In North Carolina, more than 114,000 homes lost power. The Washington region’s mass transit system took what an official called an “exceedingly rare” step of shutting down for the weekend.
Schools throughout the region, including some universities, were closed Friday, as were many government offices. Many businesses instructed people to telecommute, and countless activities were postponed. President Obama put off a White House ceremony where he was to award medals to scientists and technology innovators. In Baltimore, the country music star Garth Brooks postponed two sold-out shows.