From New Jersey To Maine, Northeast Braces For Massive Blizzard 
 
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 Update at 12:20 p.m. ET 
 
 Nearly 30 million people in the Northeast are bracing for what the National Weather Service is calling a potentially historic blizzard that could bring more than 2 feet of snow today and Tuesday to parts of the region. 
 
 Blizzard warnings have been issued all the way from the New Jersey shore to coastal New England from this afternoon through late Tuesday. 
 
 The National Weather Service said New York could get as much as 2 feet of snow; Boston and Providence, R.I., could get up to 2.5 feet. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph are expected inland, and some gusts could reach 75 mph on the Northeastern coast. 
 
 In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester counties. 
 
 Nonessential state workers in those counties are being asked to leave at 3 p.m. New York City's subway service will operate on a limited schedule after 7 p.m., he said. 
 
 "This is going to be a serious blizzard that should not be taken lightly," Cuomo said. 
 
 In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel Malloy, besides declaring a state of emergency, announced a travel ban for all roads starting at 9 p.m. tonight. 
 
 "People need to take this storm seriously," he said. "If current predictions are accurate, we will need people to stay off the roads so that emergency personnel and utility crews can get to the places they need to get to, and to make sure that our plows can keep critical roadways clear." 
 
 New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency for the state and authorized a staggered dismissal at 1 p.m. for state officers and nonessential workers. He said state offices will also be closed Tuesday. 
 
 In Boston, Logan Airport officials said no flights will leave the airport after 7:30 p.m. There will be no air traffic at the airport on Tuesday. 
 
 "This could be a storm the likes of which we have never seen before," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday. 
 
 De Blasio said today that all nonemergency traffic will need to be off the road after 11 p.m. 
 
 Weather Underground puts it this way: "By the time its last flake falls on Wednesday, the Blizzard of 2015 will likely pile up some epic snowfall amounts which may rank in the top ten in recorded history for all three of these cities." 
 
 The nor'easter could cripple travel. Already, thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed. Daniel Baker, CEO of the aviation tracking site FlightAware.com says this could be a good chance for stranded airline customers. 
 
 "The good news is that every airline is offering fee-free changes, and in some cases cancellations and rescheduling opportunities," he says. 
 
 Chris Dolce, Weather.com meteorologist, says, "Avoid all travel, as it will be extremely dangerous with blizzard or near-blizzard conditions likely." ||||| A blizzard is expected to hit the Northeastern U.S. Are you there? Send in time-lapse videos and photographs of the storm. But please stay safe 
 
 New York (CNN) -- Stores across the Northeast were packed with shoppers as people prepared for what could be a historic blizzard set to arrive on Friday. 
 
 In Reading, Massachusetts, residents were preparing for several feet of snow that could leave them stuck in their homes for days. 
 
 "It's a zoo in there. There's nothing left on the shelves. ... I think I got every bottle of water that they had in stock," Elizabeth Fraiser told CNN afilliate WHDH. 
 
 At the Home Depot, another resident said she had essential supplies but wanted to be doubly sure she was ready. 
 
 "I have a lot of it, but just want to be prepared. You never know," Joanna Spinosa said. 
 
 A picture posted on the website of CNN affiliate WCVB showed long lines at a gas station in Boston. 
 
 Travelers looking up flight details on airline websites were seeing the word "Canceled" over and over. And it wasn't just affecting travelers in the Northeast. 
 
 Nearly 3,300 flights were canceled in anticipation of the storm as emergency crews geared up for inclement weather, most of which was expected late Friday into Saturday. 
 
 According to the flight-tracking website Flight Aware, airports from Logan in Boston to O'Hare in Chicago to Reagan National in Washington were seeing significant number of flights -- inbound and outbound -- called off for Friday. More than 60 U.S. airports reported flight cancellations, Flight Aware said. 
 
 Amtrak canceled many trips in the Northeast corridor. The rail transit company said on its website that northbound service from New York's Penn Station would be suspended after 1 p.m Friday. 
 
 Two ferocious storm systems are expected to converge across the Northeast on Friday and spawn nightmares for a large swath of the country. 
 
 A wintry blast churning across the nation and a cold front barreling up the East Coast will unite and could dump as much as a foot of snow in New York and up to 3 feet in Boston. 
 
 Boston could see snowfall of 2 to 3 inches per hour, as frigid gusts swirl across the region. The system has already drawn comparisons to the "Great Blizzard" of 1978, when thousands were stranded as fast-moving snow drifts blanketed highways and left several people dead. 
 
 The most severe weather is expected to hit Massachusetts between 2 and 5 p.m. on Friday. 
 
 Gov. Deval Patrick announced Thursday that all non-emergency workers should work from home. He canceled all school classes on Friday. 
 
 "Be a good neighbor. Check on the elderly," he said, advising residents not to bring portable stoves, charcoal or gas grill indoors out of concern for potential fire hazards or carbon monoxide poisoning. 
 
 All vehicles must be off the roads by noon on Friday, and Boston's public rail system will halt service at 3:30 p.m. A fleet of 600 snow removers will be manned by municipal workers and contractors as authorities gear up for what they say could be a 36-hour storm. 
 
 "We are hearty New Englanders and used to these kinds of storms, but I also want to remind people to use common sense and stay off the streets," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. 
 
 Forecasters warned of potential white-out conditions across New England and parts of New York. 
 
 "If you are on the highway and you are stuck, you are putting yourself in danger," said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. 
 
 Meanwhile, residents stocked up after authorities announced that public schools across several New England states would not hold classes Friday. 
 
 "They're coming in buying shovels, ice melts and sleds," said Atton Shipman, who works at Back Bay Hardware in Boston. 
 
 Social media was abuzz with chatter about the incoming weather. 
 
 "Just a reminder of what the ground looks like in case anyone forgets in a couple of days," tweeted Ryan Pickering, after posting a close-up photo of a Rhode Island roadway. 
 
 Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency officials said that they were busy salting roadways. 
 
 "Travel may become nearly impossible with blowing/drifting snow and near zero visibility during the height of the storm (Friday afternoon into Saturday morning)," the agency said in a statement. "Motorized vehicles are asked to stay off the roads if they can during the storm to allow snow plows to clear the roads." 
 
 Crews began preparing snow plows at Logan International Airport, where officials said the storm is expected to cause more flight delays and cancellations. 
 
 United Airlines said customers in storm-affected cities will be allowed to reschedule their itineraries "with a one-time date or time change, and the airline will waive the change fees." 
 
 Delta, Jet Blue, Southwest and other airlines offered their customers similar assurances. 
 
 In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel Malloy said utility companies were bringing additional crews from out of state to deal with potential power outages. Metro-North rail lines could also be closed at any time should winds exceed 40 mph. 
 
 The Connecticut National Guard has moved equipment to staging places, including several Black Hawk helicopters at Bradley International Airport north of Hartford. In Rhode Island, 300 members of a military police brigade were scheduled to drill on Saturday and Sunday but the drill has been moved up because of the storm. 
 
 A snow emergency went into effect in the southern Connecticut city of Stamford, beginning at 5 p.m. 
 
 In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the timing of the storm could actually benefit municipal workers. 
 
 "If it's going to happen, having it happen Friday overnight into Saturday is probably as good timing as we could have," Bloomberg said. "The sanitation department then has the advantage of being able to clean the streets when there's normally less traffic." 
 
 New York's Air National Guard unit on Long Island has some snowmobiles it can deploy to help with search and rescue or emergency transportation. If Gov. Andrew Cuomo were to order the National Guard to assist, each of New York's Guard's six operating areas will be ready to deploy 10 Humvees and 40 troops trained in disaster response. 
 
 By late Thursday, the National Weather Service had issued a blizzard warning from 6 a.m. Friday until 1 p.m. Saturday, with wind gusts up to 50 mph, creating dangerous driving conditions with visibilities near zero in white-out conditions. 
 
 Consolidated Edison, a main utility company for the New York region, said it is preparing additional crews to deal with potential power outages and advised customers to stay clear of downed power lines. 
 
 Long island Power Authority, which received intense criticism over its handling of Superstorm Sandy, said it was preparing. 
 
 Record-breaking snowfall could hit Hartford, Connecticut, as well. 
 
 "We expect snow and then rain, and severe coastal flooding," said CNN meteorologist Sarah Dillingham. 
 
 Wind will also be a major concern. Gusts could reach 75 mph along Cape Cod and 55 mph in the Long Island Sound and cause coastal flooding, with tides rising about three to five feet. 
 
 As more miserable weather slams the region, those affected by Superstorm Sandy will be further hampered by high winds, cold temperatures and more beach erosion. 
 
 Parts of the region are under a blizzard watch. 
 
 In New Hampshire, there are people who actually want a lot of snow. 
 
 "Natural snow definitely gets people to remind them that there are winter activities," Lori Rowell, director of marketing for Pats Peak ski resort in Henniker, told CNN affiliate WBZ. 
 
 Steve Livingston said he usually sells 30 to 35 snowmobiles a week at his shop, but he hasn't sold any in the past week. 
 
 Sales have been super slow," said Livingston, owner of Livingston's Arctic Cat in Hillsborough. "I hope we get as much snow as we can possibly deal with. That would be like a hot summer day for Hampton Beach for us." 
 
 CNN's Larry Shaughnessy contributed to this report. ||||| BLIZZARD '15: THE LATEST 
 
 Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York have implemented overnight travel restrictions. 
 
 Seven states have made emergency declarations. 
 
 New York's LaGuardia Airport will shut down Tuesday. 
 
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 — 
 
 BY ERIN McCLAM 
 
 Tens of millions of people in the Northeast hunkered down on Monday for a historic blizzard that was expected to drop more than 2 feet of snow, whipped around by winds approaching hurricane force — enough to bring New York, Boston and most of the northeast corridor to an eerie standstill. 
 
 More than 7,000 flights were scrapped, and the major airlines warned that practically nothing would take off or land in New York, Boston and Philadelphia as the worst of the storm sweeps in overnight and Tuesday morning. 
 
 Store shelves emptied, schools shut their doors, and authorities either pleaded with people to stay home or outright closed the roads to all but emergency vehicles. 
 
 The snow began to lighten up in New York around 8 p.m., but Mayor Bill de Blasio warned residents not to drop their vigilance. He cited forecasts for snow to fall at a rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour overnight, although meteorologists later predicted only about 1- 2 inches per hour in the city around midnight. 
 
 By 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, there was 5.5 inches on the ground in New York's Central Park, with forecasts for an additional 5 to 8 inches, according to The Weather Channel. Boston's Logan Airport had 2.3 inches after midnight with 15-24" more expected, and Hartford, Conn., had 2 inches with another 10-16" on the way. 
 
 "This snow is going to come in very fast. There'll be fast accumulation, there'll be drifts, there'll be visibility problems, there'll be high winds," de Blasio said, adding that gusts in the city could surpass 60 mph. "That is a dangerous situation." 
 
 City subways and suburban commuter rails stopped running at 11 p.m. ET Monday under orders from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. A road travel restriction began at the same time, meaning that all cars other than emergency vehicles were banned in 13 counties, including those in New York City and Long Island. 
 
 "It's dangerous to be out there now. It's going to get more dangerous. And at one point it's irresponsible," Cuomo said. 
 
 A similar travel ban in New Jersey began at 11 p.m. ET, Gov. Chris Christie announced. The move excludes emergency and public safety personnel, utility companies and others assisting in storm recovery. It will be "subject to revocation at daybreak depending on conditions then," Christie said on Twitter. 
 
 Boston suspended all public transit for Tuesday and Massachusetts officials pleaded for people to go home and keep put. "The bottom line is it's going to be the kind of night where the best thing anyone can do is to stay inside," Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said. 
 
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 Amtrak suspended Tuesday service on many of its busiest lines, including the Northeast Regional and Acela Express between New York and Boston. 
 
 No flights will arrive at or depart from LaGuardia Airport in New York on Tuesday, while "minimal flight activity" is expected at the region's other airports, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. 
 
 At John F. Kennedy Airport, passengers on at least one outbound Virgin Atlantic flight had to sit on the tarmac for about 6 hours before being stuck back at the terminal. 
 
 "There's nothing to drink, nothing to eat. It's a disaster," said Alexis Dehasse, a music producer who was aboard Flight VS4 to London, which was supposed to take off at 6:30 p.m. but dumped passengers back at the gate after midnight after dealing with de-icing and a sick passenger. 
 
 Travelers wait at JFK airport early Tuesday, Jan. 27 after a Virgin Atlantic flight was cancelled after six hours on the tarmac. Alexis Dehasse 
 
 Dehasse said he had a friend in town he could stay with — but road closures meant there was no way to leave the airport. "I'm coming down with the flu," he told NBC News. "It's a nightmare." 
 
 Another passenger, Felix Kunze, 29, a Brooklyn photographer going to England for a visit, said the airline just handed out $15 vouchers for McDonald's, the only thing open. 
 
 "I can't even get back to Brooklyn. I have friends who will come get me but they can't because the roads are closed." Asked to sum up the experience he said, "It was hopeful, hopeful, hopeful right up until the last minute with the most crushing final defeat of horror." 
 
 we're stuck at JFK, no roads, no cabs, no stores open, no hotel rooms. Nightmare. This is the line coming off flight pic.twitter.com/ypfQxRDkSn — Felix Kunze (@felixkunze) January 27, 2015 
 
 Non-essential vehicles in New York, including cabs and delivery bicycles, were ordered off the streets at 11 p.m. ET. "This will most likely be one of the largest blizzards in the history of New York City," Mayor de Blasio said. "This is not a typical storm. It's going to pack a punch. What you're going to see in a few hours is something that hits very hard and very fast." 
 
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 At least 60 million people were under a winter weather alert, and 28 million were in the possible path of blizzard conditions — heavy snow whipped around by ferocious wind. Seven states — Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire — declared emergencies. 
 
 Rush hour came early in many places, as commuters raced home before the brunt of the storm hit. New York's Penn Station was jammed with riders trying to board the day's last trains. Broadway went dark, and Central Park was closed. Banks branches shuttered early. Power crews from as far as Michigan traveled east to help deal with likely outages. 
 
 At least one town in Massachusetts turned off power preemptively, while at least 3000 customers in the Bay state and hundreds of people in Connecticut lost electricity overnight, utility officials said.. 
 
 Forecast snow totals were changing quickly, but The Weather Channel said some places outside Boston and on Long Island, New York, could get more than 2 feet of snow. The Massachusetts coast and eastern Long Island could each see 30 inches, The Weather Channel reported. 
 
 Bill Karins, a meteorologist for NBC News, called for snow totals of 20 inches in Hartford, Connecticut, 18 inches in New York and 10 inches in Philadelphia. 
 
 The wind forecasts were nightmarish: The Weather Channel called for gusts of 65 mph in Plymouth, Massachusetts, just shy of hurricane force, 60 mph in Boston and 50 mph in New York. 
 
 The worst of it was expected Monday overnight and Tuesday morning. Blizzard warnings covered 250 miles of the Northeast while snow fell steadily for most of the day Monday across the region and authorities warned that it would get much heavier. 
 
 "Don't panic. Let's get this thing right," Mayor Marty Walsh of Boston told The Weather Channel. "Keep an eye on the news, keep an eye on the forecast." 
 
 It the snowstorm intensifies, it could threaten Boston's record — 27.6 inches, over two days in February 2003. It could also be among the biggest in history in New York, where the record is 26.9 inches, set in February 2006. 
 
 New York City Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said that keeping people off the roads would help her crews clear them as efficiently as possible overnight. But she warned residents not to expect things to be in great condition in the early morning. "It will not be done when you wake up in the morning. It's going to keep going," Garcia said. 
 
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 Along the low-lying coast, flooding was a major concern. The National Weather Service warned that the storm would be powerful enough not just to erode coastline and damage homes but to carve whole new inlets along the beaches. 
 
 Across NE, millions are panicked they may lose internet and have to talk to their families. Trying hard to remember names. #Snowmageddon2015 — stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) January 27, 2015 
 
 In New Jersey, Christie sent state workers home early and ordered state offices closed for Tuesday. He noted that people were already descending on grocery stores. 
 
 "Don't know why the rush on bread, but what the heck," he told reporters. 
 
 Travel was treacherous. Part of Interstate 81 was shut down near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania after a tractor-trailer jack-knifed and a beer truck crashed into the median. No injuries were reported. 
 
 Schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut announced they were closing early or altogether and Boston officials canceled school through Wednesday. 
 
 The state of Massachusetts had 250,000 tons of salt and 420,000 gallons of deicing liquid at the ready. Boston had 700 pieces of equipment to prepare the roads and plow them later. 
 
 "Very highly populated areas of the Northeast are going to get crushed with snow," said Tom Moore, coordinating meteorologist for The Weather Channel. "Everywhere ... you're going to get hit very hard by this storm." 
 
 Coastal Massachusetts braced for wind gusts that could reach 75 mph, enough when paired with the snow to create whiteout conditions. 
 
 With a big sendoff from the city of Boston, the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots got out of town just before the storm arrived. The team was headed for Phoenix, where the temperature will reach the high 60s. 
 
 The blizzard threat came after millions of Americans across the Northeast awoke Saturday to a blanket of snow that was later doused with rain, leaving New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania a sloppy mess. 
 
 Scott Flath, general manager of Long Island Hardware in Bohemia, New York, said his store is well-stocked but that many of his customers are making their first winter supply runs of the season. 
 
 He said they're telling him, "I have no idea where my shovel for last year is." 
 
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 Elisha Fieldstadt, M. Alex Johnson, Jon Schuppe, Tracy Connor and Hasani Gittens of NBC News contributed to this report. ||||| As snow began falling on Friday morning, local authorities from New York City to Maine were making preparations for what forecasters said could be the biggest blizzard for some cities in the Northeast in a century. 
 
 Airlines began announcing the suspension of flights out of New York and Boston airports starting Friday night, as thousands of workers readied their plows, checked their stocks of salt and braced for what will most likely be a cold, wet weekend. Amtrak announced that it would suspend northbound service out of Penn Station in New York and southbound service out of Boston beginning early Friday afternoon. 
 
 Gas stations in parts of New York City and New Jersey had long lines Thursday night, according to local residents, a signal, perhaps, that many were taking storm warnings seriously. 
 
 More than 2,200 flights for Friday had been canceled, according to the Web site FlightAware, the majority originating or departing from the areas affected by the storm. 
 
 By late Thursday night, schools across New York and Connecticut had announced they would close, or dismiss students early. 
 
 On Long Island, where some forecasts said there could be more than 18 inches of snow, the power company, which has received heavy criticism for its response to Hurricane Sandy, promised customers that they were prepared. 
 
 The city of Boston, where forecasts called for more than two feet of snow to fall by Saturday, announced that it would close all schools on Friday, joining other localities in trying to get ahead of the storm and keep people off the roads. 
 
 “We are taking this storm very seriously and you should take this storm very seriously,” said Jerome Hauer, the New York State Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, at an afternoon news conference. 
 
 “If you don’t have to go to work tomorrow, we suggest that you do not,” he said. “If you do, we suggest that you plan for an early departure.” 
 
 The latest forecasts, he said, called for between 12 and 20 inches of snow in the New York City region and wind gusts that could exceed 60 miles per hour. 
 
 However, with the storm still some distance away, forecasters warned that predictions could change. The first sign of the storm will be a dusting of light snow that is expected to start falling across the region Friday morning. 
 
 At some point Friday night, the arctic jet stream will drop down from Canada and intersect with the polar jet stream, which usually travels through the lower 48 states. 
 
 “They will cross somewhere between New Jersey and Nantucket,” said Tim Morrin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. “That is where the center of the storm will deepen and explosively develop.” 
 
 If the current models hold, the storm could rival the blizzard of 1978 in New England, when more than 27 inches of snow fell in Boston and surrounding cities. That storm, which occurred on a weekday, resulted in dozens of deaths and crippled the region for days. 
 
 Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said more than 20 agencies had gathered at the agency’s operations center in Framingham, Mass., where they were preparing for a historic storm. 
 
 “From our perspective, this is a very severe, blizzard-type storm that we haven’t had for quite a long time,” Mr. Judge said. “Worst-case scenario, this will be the worst one that we’ve dealt with in many, many years. I can’t even come up with something comparable.” 
 
 Officials prepared for debris management, snow removal and supplies distribution, he said, as well as widespread power failures, which he said were the major concern. “People will lose their heat when they lose their power, and they’re certainly much more in harm’s way than at other times of the year,” he said. 
 
 Marc Santora reported from New York. Jess Bidgood and Katharine Q. Seelye contributed reporting from Boston. ||||| Two storms — one moving in from the Great Lakes that's producing the snow there Thursday and another one moving up the East Coast — are forecast to merge near New England on Friday. 
 
 People cover their faces as winds whip the snow in Boston. (Photo: Darren McCollester, Getty Images) Story Highlights The hardest-hit cities are expected to be Hartford, Providence, Boston, Worcester, Concord, Portsmouth and Portland 
 
 Boston should see at least a foot, possibly more 
 
 Numerous flight delays and cancellations are possible 
 
 With a winter storm forecast to explode into a "potentially historic" blizzard over New England and New York this weekend, tens of millions of people are bracing for travel nightmares and power outages. 
 
 The storm was getting cranked up Thursday around the Great Lakes, where 6 to 12 inches could fall in parts of Wisconsin, Michigan and New York state. 
 
 New England and New York are forecast to take the hardest hit, but others around the country could feel the ripple effect from canceled flights out of New York and other airports along the Eastern Seaboard. 
 
 The New York City metro area, home to three airports and 20 million residents in four states, is expected to see heavy snow, with as much as 12 inches possible in the metro area, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. 
 
 The National Weather Service said in an online report that "a potentially historic winter storm and blizzard is expected to drop 1 to 2 feet of snow across much of the region," and that "travel may become near impossible at times with considerable blowing and drifting snow." 
 
 The storm isn't expected to have a major economic impact on New England, said economist David Iaia of Lexington, Mass.-based IHS Global Insight. 
 
 "If everything just shuts down for a day, the vast majority of business merely gets shifted to before the storm or after the storm," Iaia said. 
 
 Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for the entire New York City metro area, Long Island, all of Connecticut and Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts and coastal sections of New Hampshire and Maine. Some parts of New England should see more than 2 feet of snow, and some coastal areas could see hurricane-force winds of up to 74 mph, the weather service says. 
 
 Anticipating the storm's impact, every big U.S. airline has issued flexible re-booking policies. The move allowed most fliers ticketed to fly to airports in the storm's path to make one change to their flights without the standard change fees. 
 
 By late Thursday, airlines had already proactively canceled nearly 1,200 flights ahead of the storm, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. About three-fourths 3/4 of that number came just from the three New York airports. 
 
 With such a large number of cancellations, the flight disruptions in New York and the Northeast are all but certain to ripple through airports across the nation. A flight from Houston to Los Angeles, for example, could become delayed or canceled if the aircraft or crew scheduled to fly it gets knocked off schedule because of problems in Boston or New York. 
 
 This has the potential to be a top 10 snowstorm of all time in Boston, according to the Weather Channel. A snow total of 18.2 inches or more would place it in that list. 
 
 In addition to the snow, winds and coastal flooding are also concerns: In Massachusetts, there is a chance of "ferocious sustained winds near 50 mph at the coast, with wind gusts in excess of hurricane force -- 74 mph," Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters says. 
 
 He adds that the winds will push ocean water onshore, potentially causing flooding in Boston. One forecast, Masters says, shows the city could see the third-highest water level on record. 
 
 The Weather Channel, as part of its new winter storm naming system, has dubbed this storm Nemo. Neither the National Weather Service nor any other private weather agencies are using the name. 
 
 Two storms — one moving in from the Great Lakes that's producing the snow there Thursday and another one moving up the East Coast — are forecast to merge near New England on Friday, Walker says. 
 
 These storms, combined with a high pressure system over Canada that's supplying cold air, provide "a classic setup for a major winter storm across southern New England," the weather service says. 
 
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 The storm should put an end to Boston's snow drought this winter: The city has received only 10 inches of snow this winter season, according to the weather service. Typically, more than 25 inches would have fallen so far this winter. 
 
 It's actually been more than two years since Boston has seen a snowstorm of greater than 6 inches, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Jon Erdman. 
 
 In Massachusetts, about 3,000 snow-removal and salt trucks will be on the streets throughout the state during the storm, says Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. 
 
 Not everyone is panicked about the incoming storm. Ski resorts all over New England are excited about what could be the biggest snowfall of the season: "If I had a tail it would be wagging," says Stowe Mountain Resort spokesman Mike Colbourn. "Presidents' week is next week, a big nor'easter – all of the stars are in alignment." 
 
 "As far as where the big ski areas are, we are at ground zero for this storm - we are in the 24-inch band," says Bruce McCloy, director of Marketing for Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, N.H., "We are so excited! It's going to be awesome! How are we getting ready? We are dancing a jig, and then after that, we are getting ready. We haven't had any big storms in the past two years so this is really big." 
 
 Contributing: Ben Mutzabaugh, Natalie DiBlasio, Melanie Eversley 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/YV3pSN ||||| Story highlights Amtrak shuts down Tuesday service between New York and Boston 
 
 New York mayor: The storm "is about to start in earnest" 
 
 Massachusetts governor: "The best thing anybody can do is stay inside" 
 
 Are you in the storm's path? Please share your images with CNN iReport if you can do so safely. 
 
 (CNN) Snow is falling at a faster rate. Wind gusts are getting stronger. And temperatures are frigid. 
 
 It may not look bad yet, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday night, but it will be soon. 
 
 "This is literally the calm before the storm. It's about to start in earnest," de Blasio said. "And when it does, it's going to come in very fast and very hard, and people have to be very, very careful. People have to stay off the streets and stay off the sidewalks." 
 
 The National Weather Service, which isn't prone to exaggeration, is using terms like "life-threatening" and "historic" to describe the weather system taking aim at the Northeast, with the worst expected to hit Monday night into Tuesday. 
 
 The first big storm of the year may drop up to 3 feet of snow on Boston and New York before it ends Tuesday, with freezing rain and strong wind gusts possibly reaching 70 mph. Blizzard and winter storm warnings have been issued from Maryland through Maine and into Canada. 
 
 Up to 58 million people could be put into the deep freeze. And the storm could have a far-reaching economic and political impact, even beyond the region directly hit. 
 
 The snowfall will be dramatic, but that might not be what causes the most damage, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. 
 
 A possible source of major problems, he said, will be large wind gusts that send tree limbs crashing down into power lines. That could leave people in some area without electricity for days, he said. 
 
 Another area of concern: roads. 
 
 "It is no joke to have people stranded on a highway. We've gone through that before," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters. "It is frightening how quickly a simple trip to the supermarket can wind up being very dangerous." 
 
 Public transportation will shut down and only emergency vehicles will be allowed on the roads in 13 counties -- and on the streets of New York City -- as of 11 p.m., he said. 
 
 Connecticut and Massachusetts also put travel bans in place. 
 
 In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter declared a snow emergency starting at 6 p.m. ET Monday. Cars left parked on snow emergency routes will be towed and owners ticketed, he said. 
 
 "It's going to be the kind of night where the best thing anybody can do is stay inside," Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday evening. 
 
 Track the storm 
 
 Here's what you need to know, state-by-state 
 
 Sights and sounds of the blizzard 
 
 Spinning your wheels 
 
 While the worst of the weather isn't expected to hit until late Monday into Tuesday, according to CNN forecasters, it's already snarling travel. 
 
 Nearly 7,000 flights have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday, the flight-tracking website Flightaware.com said. And hundreds of flights have already been canceled for Wednesday as well. 
 
 American Airlines suspended operations in Philadelphia, Boston and New York late Monday afternoon. 
 
 "We plan to resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so," airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said. 
 
 United Airlines has already canceled all Tuesday flights at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK, as well as Boston and Philadelphia, company spokeswoman Mary Ryan said. 
 
 Delta has canceled more than 1,600 flights on Monday and Tuesday. There are no operations planned at Boston's Logan International Airport on Tuesday and "very limited flying at LaGuardia and JFK," spokesman Morgan Durrant said. Some cancellations may also be necessary Wednesday morning, he said. 
 
 The major U.S. airlines are offering fee-free rebooking of flights to and from the Northeast on Monday and Tuesday. 
 
 Amtrak said it was operating a normal Monday schedule but suspended Northeast Regional and Acela Express service between New York and Boston for Tuesday because of severe weather. 
 
 Other Amtrak train routes in the region will operate at reduced frequencies, the rail line said. 
 
 Stocking up before the storm 
 
 Heavier snow will hit Monday night and continue through Tuesday, forecasters said. Some areas will still be getting snow Wednesday. 
 
 Officials across the Northeast warned residents to stock up for the storm. 
 
 Tips to prepare for the storm Government officials warned residents to fill up vehicle gas tanks, stock up on food, make sure they have enough heating fuel and to take other steps to prepare for the possibility of being stranded, possibly without power, for days. Here are more tips from the Federal Emergency Management Agency: • Make a family communications plan in case you are separated from your loved ones during the height of the storm. • Make sure to keep ventilation to the outdoors clear when using kerosene heaters. • Put off travel. But if you have to go out, keep a disaster supplies kit in your car. It should include a shovel, windshield scraper, small broom, flashlight, battery-powered radio, extra batteries, food and water, matches, a change of clothes, a pocketknife, a first aid kit and blankets. • Check antifreeze levels, battery condition, exhaust and other vehicle systems before venturing out. • Stay inside as much as possible, stay dry when you do have to go outside, and watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia, including loss of feeling, uncontrollable shivering and disorientation. 
 
 And they did. 
 
 While shoppers lined up in supermarkets, Dorot, a nonprofit in New York, collected hundreds of bags of food and water supplies for homebound seniors, WCBS reported. 
 
 "I think I'll use some of this, especially the soup," said Norma Amigo, 93, of the Upper West Side. "I will not go out if I think it's slippery out, because I fell two weeks ago." 
 
 Christine Carew, a sales associate at Charles Street Supply in Boston, said customers have been coming into the hardware store since it opened Sunday to grab sleds, shovels, ice melt and snow brushes. 
 
 When it comes to getting ready for a massive snowfall, she said, Boston residents know what to do. 
 
 "We're more prepared for it," she said. "We know it's going to happen." 
 
 In Boston's North End, cigar bar manager David Riccio was sweeping the sidewalk Monday night, preparing for the storm to hit. 
 
 "They're making it sound really bad, so we'll see," he said. 
 
 Fleets of plows and tons of salt 
 
 New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said his force was well-prepared with a fleet of vehicles equipped with tire chains and more large SUVs capable of traversing snowy streets. 
 
 "I want everyone to understand that we are facing -- most likely -- one of the largest snowstorms in the history of this city," de Blasio said. 
 
 Just Watched De Blasio: Don't underestimate this storm replay More Videos ... De Blasio: Don't underestimate this storm 01:09 PLAY VIDEO 
 
 That's saying something. In 2006, 26.9 inches of snow fell, topping the 25.8-inches of snow that fell in December 1947. 
 
 New York state has at least 1,806 plows and more than 126,000 tons of salt to spray onto roads across the region. 
 
 The National Guard also was positioning six dozen personnel and 20 vehicles throughout the state Monday morning. 
 
 .@NWSNewYorkNY Blizzard Warning for NYC, 1PM Mon-12AM Wed morning: 20-30" of snow + wind gusts to 65mph. http://t.co/jsdLTt3RY4 #alert — NYC OEM (@nycoem) January 25, 2015 
 
 In Boston, New England Patriots fans saw their beloved football team off to the Super Bowl at a Monday morning celebration that wrapped up before the storm worsened. 
 
 Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said there was no doubt the city would be slammed, so a major effort now is making sure people are safe. That includes checking on elderly residents and working to get homeless people off the streets and into shelters, he said. 
 
 The city has 700 pieces of snow-moving equipment and 35,000 tons of salt ready, he said. 
 
 "You can't fight Mother Nature, and whatever happens throughout the course of the storm, we just have to do our best to be prepared going into it, which I think we are," Walsh said. 
 
 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos Northeast braces for 'historic' storm – People cross a street covered in snow in New York's Times Square during a snowstorm on Monday, January 26. The National Weather Service is using terms like "life-threatening" and "historic" to describe the weather system taking aim at the Northeastern United States. The worst is expected to hit Monday night. Hide Caption 1 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos Northeast braces for 'historic' storm – As the snow moves in, residents pick up some last-minute items at King's Highway Stop & Shop in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on January 26. Hide Caption 2 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos People walk near Penn Station on New York's Seventh Avenue while a major snowstorm begins on January 26. Hide Caption 3 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos A tugboat sails on the East River in New York on January 26. Hide Caption 4 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos Travelers wait for their train platform to be announced at New York's Penn Station on January 26. Hide Caption 5 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos The New York skyline is seen from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, on January 26. Hide Caption 6 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos Snow falls on pedestrians in New York on January 26. Hide Caption 7 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos A plane is de-iced at New York's LaGuardia Airport on January 26. Thousands of flights have already been canceled in anticipation of the storm. Hide Caption 8 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos A man buys a shovel in Winthrop, Massachusetts, on January 26. Hide Caption 9 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos Commuters travel across the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge into downtown Boston on January 26. Hide Caption 10 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos A cyclist in New York navigates between parked cars and a sanitation truck with a snow plow on it on January 26. Hide Caption 11 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos Passengers talk with a ticket agent at LaGuardia Airport to try to beat the snowstorm on January 26. Hide Caption 12 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos Traffic moves through falling snow near Evans City, Pennsylvania, on January 26. Hide Caption 13 of 14 Northeast braces for 'historic' storm 14 photos A New York City snowplow, loaded with salt, sits in midtown Manhattan as light snow falls on January 26. Hide Caption 14 of 14 EXPAND GALLERY 
 
 Hunkering down 
 
 On Plum Island, Massachusetts, Bob Connors said he'll try to ride out the storm but will move to higher ground if things get dicey, according to CNN affiliate WHDH. A 2013 storm destroyed homes on the island. 
 
 "When you're living on the edge of paradise like we are now, you give Mother Nature a lot of respect when we need to," said Connors. 
 
 Visibility will be a major problem, said CNN meteorologist Judson Jones. 
 
 "This is not one of those storms you want to go out in while it's happening," Jones said. "You want to wait for the winds to die down ... before you go to the store." 
 
 Blizzard Watch issued for RI to be in effect Mon night to Tues night due to predicted snow accumulations of 18-24" http://t.co/v1635ezsLy — Rhode Island EMA (@RhodeIslandEMA) January 25, 2015 
 
 Tuesday is shaping up to be a day when the reality of the weather sets in. 
 
 One of the inevitable aftereffects of snow -- flooding -- will quickly become a problem. 
 
 There could be coastal flooding in Massachusetts starting early Tuesday, with pockets of major flooding on east-facing coastlines, the state emergency agency said. 
 
 "Plan to work from home is the best advice for Tuesday," Jones said.
– The blizzard barreling toward the Northeast is still on track to bury New England and New York City later today, reports AP. The big airlines have canceled nearly 3,000 flights so far, reports CNN, and that number is only going to grow. Boston could get three feet of snow and New York City could get a foot and a half, according to the latest forecasts; both cities and other surrounding areas are bracing for the storm. Boston's Logan Airport and transit system will shut down this afternoon, the Globe reports; Amtrak and Greyhound routes between NYC and Boston are being suspended; schools have been closed; utility companies are prepping. The snow is expected to start in the morning, get heaviest at night, and continue into tomorrow morning. Weather Underground's liveblog reports that light snow has started falling in upstate New York; residents of that state and New Jersey were filling up their tanks last night, reports the New York Times, which notes this could be the biggest blizzard in a century for some areas. "This is going to be a dangerous winter storm," says a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass. "Wherever you need to get to, get there by Friday afternoon and don't plan on leaving."