US: Blizzard takes aim at northeastern US, flights canceled

A fast-moving winter storm bringing up to two feet of snow was expected to hit the northeastern United States, forecasters warned on Monday, prompting airlines to cancel thousands of flights and some mayors to order schools to close on Tuesday. The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, with forecasts calling for up to 2 feet of snow by early Wednesday, with temperatures 15 to 30 degrees below normal for this time of year. Some 50m people along the Eastern Seaboard were under storm or blizzard warnings and watches. "When this thing hits, it's going to hit hard and it's going to put a ton of snow on the ground in a hurry," Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said Monday. He urged people to consider working from home if they could. "It's going to snow hard and fast for a long period of time. It will create whiteout conditions," Baker said. Airlines preemptively cancelled more than 4,000 flights ahead of the storm, according to FlightAware.com. The airports with the most cancellations were Newark International Airport in New Jersey and Boston Logan International Airport. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was due to meet President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, postponed her trip until Friday, the White House said.<br/>