Winter storm inundates the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast
By Joshua Berlinger and Dave Alsup, CNN Jan 23, 2016
(CNN)Up to 85 million people are in the path of a worsening winter storm that's hit much of the East Coast of the United States.
Snow is coming down, but when the storm goes into the Atlantic on Saturday morning, it will supercharge, CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said.
"The fuse was just lit," Myers said. Once it gets to the jet stream, "that's when the firecracker goes off."
Here are the latest developments as of 2:50 a.m. ET:
-- Two people died Friday night in traffic accidents linked to inclement weather in North Carolina, said spokeswoman Olivia James of the State Emergency Response Team.
-- Philadelphia has issued a code blue for overnight Friday into Saturday. This means anyone who spots homeless people out in the cold should call the police, who will take them to a shelter.
-- 10 states have all declared states of emergency due to the storm as of Friday. They are: Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. Washington has declared a "snow emergency."
By the numbers:
Eight people dead nationwide
Six fatalities were North Carolina, one in Virginia and one in Kentucky
132,739 customers without power across the Southeast as of Friday, with 125,000 in the Carolinas, according to Duke Energy.
8,835 flights canceled from Friday through Sunday.
989 traffic crashes and 793 disabled vehicles responded to by Virginia State Police as of late Friday night
18-40 inches. That's how much snow some areas areas could receive, according to meteorologists.
55 mph wind gusts possible in Norfolk, Virginia.
