Blizzard warning issued for 250-mile stretch of Northeast

Associated Press

NEW YORK

A “potentially historic” storm could dump 2 to 3 feet of snow from northern New Jersey to Connecticut starting today, crippling a region that has largely been spared so far this winter, the National Weather Service said.

A blizzard warning was issued for a 250-mile stretch of the Northeast, including New York and Boston, and the National Weather Service said the massive storm would bring heavy snow, powerful winds and widespread coastal flooding starting today and through Tuesday.

“This could be a storm the likes of which we have never seen before,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at a news conference Sunday.

De Blasio held up a piece of paper showing the city’s top 10 snowstorms and said this one could land at the top of a list that goes back to 1872, including the 26.9 inches that fell in 2006. “Don’t underestimate this storm. Prepare for the worst,” he said as he urged residents to plan to leave work early today.

Boston is expected to get 18 to 24 inches of snow, and Philadelphia could see 14 to 18 inches, the weather service said.

Airlines prepared to shut down operations along the East Coast, leading to the expected cancellation of about 1,200 flights scheduled for today, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.

The storm system driving out of the Midwest brought snow to Ohio on Sunday and was expected to ultimately spread from the nation’s capital to Maine for a “crippling and potentially historic blizzard,” the National Weather Service said.