NEW YORK, (MILLAT//APP/AFP): Large swaths of the US
East Coast declared a state of emergency, cancelled flights and shut schools as millions braced for potentially the region’s worst winter storm of the season Tuesday.
Winter Storm Stella was feared to dump up to two feet (61 centimeters) of snow in New York, combined with winds of up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) to cause treacherous whiteout conditions.
The forecast postponed the first meeting between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington until Friday, and saw New York and New Jersey declare states of emergency.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a 24-hour blizzard warning from midnight Monday (0400 GMT Tuesday) for America’s largest city, stretching north into Connecticut and south into New Jersey.
Additional storm warnings were posted from Maine to Virginia, south of Washington, where the National Park Service warned that the cold could wipe out up to 90 percent of the capital’s beloved cherry blossoms.
In New York, UN headquarters announced it would close, inconveniencing thousands of delegates expected to attend a women’s conference.
In the financial markets, much of Wall Street was expected to work from home with low trade volume anticipated, due partly to Wednesday’s decision from the Federal Reserve on whether to raise interest rates.
More than 6,800 US flights were cancelled for Monday and Tuesday, with airports in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia hardest hit, according to the tracking service FlightAware.