A man fills his car with gas at a station on Ninth Street as snow begins to fall before sunrise Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, in Durham, N.C. A (Image Courtesy Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer via AP)
Washington: A monster blizzard threatening the US East Coast slammed into Washington on Friday, blanketing the nation's capital in snow as officials urged millions in the storm's path to seek shelter, warning the worst was yet to come.
Forecasters predict the storm will dump two feet (61 centimetres) of snow in Washington and the surrounding area by late Saturday, bringing life to a wintry halt as residents ride out the rough weather.
"The real teeth of this #winterstorm will be after midnight thru early Sat afternoon. Heavy snow, increasing winds, lightning threat," the National Weather Service (NWS) for the Washington and Baltimore region tweeted.
A blizzard warning was in effect for a large swath of the eastern United States from Washington up to New York, the NWS said.
Several southern states were already hit by snow and sleet -- unusual for that region -- with tens of thousands without power.
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