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US East Coast Bracing for Blizzard, DC Expected to Take Direct Hit

© AFP 2023 / MLADEN ANTONOV Snow falls on an eagle emblem at the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial in Washington DC on February 16, 2015
Snow falls on an eagle emblem at the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial in Washington DC on February 16, 2015 - Sputnik International
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The nation’s capital is preparing to be hit with a massive blizzard over the weekend, and many are now even more concerned after a brief dusting of snow on Wednesday evening essentially shut down the city.

DC may get 12 to 24 inches of snow, the National Weather Service said, calling the system "a potentially crippling winter storm." They have warned of white-out conditions and advised against any travel.

With Wednesday’s dusting, grocery stores were ravaged, with lines outside just to enter — and Google maps showed so many accidents and traffic warnings that some on social media noted it looked like the “end times”.

If DC gets the two feet of snow that has been predicted, it will be the city's second-biggest snowstorm ever, after a 1922 storm that produced 28 inches. If the chaos of Wednesday is any indication — it will be a storm they are greatly unprepared for.

The travel pool for the White House reported that President Obama was forced to travel back from from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, by motorcade after the inch of snow grounded helicopters. The vehicles were reportedly slipping and sliding into curbs as they made their way back.

To prepare for the storm, DC has stockpiled 39 tons of salt, 106 heavy plows, 37 contracted plows, 70 light plows, 145 dump trucks, 30 loaders and 20 Bobcats, Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement on Thursday morning. City schools will also be closed on Friday.

The blizzard warning is in effect from 3 PM Friday through 6 AM Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

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