Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are forecasted to hit the crowded US northeast on Friday as two winter storms converge on the region.
New England has had a relatively mild winter so far, but a healthy dose of snow, rain, ice and strong winds was expected from Friday into Saturday, before clearing up, AFP reported.
The National Weather service warned Thursday of "a major winter storm."
"As much as one to two feet (30cm to 60cm) of snow is forecast from the New York City metro area to Maine, with localized heavier amounts possible," the government service said.
"This, in addition to wind gusts as high as 60-75 mph will create significant impacts to transportation and power. Coastal flooding is also possible from Boston northward."
According to the commercial AccuWeather service, New York City could escape fairly lightly, though there's a chance of the Big Apple being buried in snow if the two storm systems -- one from the west and one from the south -- merge quickly enough.
Such an outcome "would translate to a foot or more of heavy, wet snow around New York City," AccuWeather said.
Even without that much, "enough snow will fall to cause travel problems and winds can be strong enough for a time to cause downed tree limbs and sporadic power outages."
Boston is expected to be in the thick of it, getting about two feet of snow on Friday.
"Strong winds will not only cause white-out conditions and massive drifts, but also coastal flooding and power outages. Gusts can approach hurricane force in coastal areas," AccuWeather predicted.