A monster blizzard threatening the US East Coast slammed into Washington 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 centimeters) of snow in Was
hington and the surrounding area by late Saturday, bringing life to a wintry hal
t as residents ride out the rough weather.
"The real teeth of this #winterstorm will be after midnight thru early Sat after
noon. Heavy snow, increasing winds, lightning threat," the National Weather Serv
ice (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 r
egion -- with tens of thousands without power.
"I want to be very clear with everybody. We see this as a major storm. It has li
fe and death implications," Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser warned.
Thousands of flights were scrapped and grocery store shelves emptied in preparat
ion for the storm, which was dubbed "Snowzilla" by The Washington Post's weather
team.
Schools and government offices in Washington were all closed, with public transp
ortation scheduled to shut down late Friday until early Monday.
"Visibility will be reduced to near zero at times in whiteout conditions," the N
WS reported.
"Heavy snow and blowing snow will cause dangerous conditions and will be a threa
t to life and property. Travel is expected to be severely limited if not impossi
ble during the height of the storm."
The Post reported that by 8:00 pm (0100 GMT Saturday), snow accumulation on Wash
ington's National Mall had reached 3.5 inches, with a bit more in the near subur
bs.
Winds were expected to pick up overnight, prompting city police chief Cathy Lani
er to urge residents to stay indoors.
"With the increasing winds and increasing snow accumulation, now we're going to
see more and more people stranded," she told CNN.
NWS director Louis Uccellini said Thursday the system had the potential to "affe
ct over 50 million people."
Crews were out clearing the roads throughout the US capital, while others turned
to shovels.
Among them was 28-year-old William Duren, who was clearing a sidewalk outside a
downtown Washington hotel.
"Usually when we see snow in the forecast, it turns out to be only an inch or so
. They always exaggerate on TV," he said, before adding that this time, the fore
casters appeared to be right.
"It's a doozy," Duren said.