Millions prepare for huge Jonas Blizzard on the US East Coast Friday January 22,2016

 

A huge blizzard bearing down on the US east coast is expected to dump near-record levels of snow on Washington and the Mid-Atlantic region.

More than 50 million people have been warned of a "potentially paralysing storm" late on Friday that will bring 24in (60cm) of snow within hours.

There are warnings the blizzard could cause power outages and will bring road and air travel to a halt.

A rush for supplies led to long queues and empty shelves at supermarkets.

The weather system has already proved to be deadly, with two drivers killed in North Carolina, one in Tennessee and a pedestrian dead in Maryland.

States of emergency declared in Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia

A life-threatening blizzard which is expected to pound a record 30 inches of snow has hit on Friday January 22,2016 most part of the US' east coast including Capital Washington DC, leaving more than 120,000 homes without electricity and paralysing lives of millions of people in the region.

 

 

 

 

The States most effected by the blizzard are North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York, in addition to Washington DC.

According to The Weather Channel, as much as 18 inches of snow in has fallen in western North Carolina and up to 16 inches in eastern Kentucky as of late Friday afternoon. Up to a foot of snow has fallen in southwest Virginia, and a half foot has blanketed parts of Tennessee, upstate South Carolina, northeast Georgia, western Virginia, West Virginia and Arkansas

 

More than 7,700 flights have been cancelled thanks to the blizzard. Above a reader-board at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Friday Jnuary 22,2016

 

People queue up to get their last minute supplies before being buffered by the blizzard in New York

 

Tens of thousands of homes are now without power and traffic jams lasting more than 12 hours were reported in Kentucky and Pennsylvania on Saturday January 23,2016

 

In rural Virginia - parts of which had more than 30in of snow - there were more than 1,000 car crashes and two people died of hypothermia.

The heaviest unofficial snowfalls recorded by mid-afternoon on Saturday included:

• 40in (102cm) - Berkeley County, West Virginia
• 35.5in (90cm) - Morgan County, West Virginia
• 34in (86cm) - Washington County, Maryland

In New York, travel restrictions came into effect in the city at at 14:30 (19:30 GMT), with transport being suspended and bridges shut.

Emergency vehicles and workers carrying out repairs are being allowed to use roads - but those driving non-essential vehicles risk being arrested

Almost all flights into the city have been cancelled.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said up to 28 inches of snow might fall,making it one of the five worst winter storms in the city.