US north-east braced for a ‘historic’ blizzard

A potentially historic blizzard could dump up to three feet of snow on a large part of the US north-east, the National Weather Service has said.

Almost 1,900 flights scheduled for yesterday were cancelled as the region braces itself for the harsh conditions. The National Weather Service said the storm, known as a “nor’easter”, would bring heavy snow, powerful winds and widespread coastal flooding through to today.

A blizzard warning was issued for a 400km stretch of the north-east, including New York and Boston. The storm promised treacherous travel by both land and air throughout the busy north-east corridor.

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

De Blasio told residents of America’s financial capital and most populous city to stay off the roads and to “prepare for something worse than we have seen before”.

Along with the nearly 1,900 cancelled flights, nearly 1,800 additional flights have been scrapped for today, according to FlightAware.

Boston was expected to get 18in-24in of snow, and Philadelphia could see 14in-18in, the weather service said.

In New York, transit officials planned to use modified subway cars loaded with de-icing fluid to spray the third rail that powers trains.