Eastern U.S. Braces For Major Winter Storm

NPR

Published January 21, 2016 at 1:52 PM EST

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Surrounded by bags of ice-melting salt, stone mason Medaro Romero covers gas powered snow sweepers in plastic bags in preparation for a coming winter storm outside the U.S. Capitol January 21, 2016 in Washington, DC. One inch of snowfall delayed school openings in the greater Washington, DC, area on Thursday as people along the Easter Seaboard prepare for a blizzard to arrive within the next 24 hours. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The eastern part of the U.S. is bracing for a major winter storm this weekend. Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky are seeing ice and freezing rain today, but the worst is expected in parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., where the National Weather Service is warning of double-digit snow totals.

This morning, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city is prepared, and she apologized to area residents for not pretreating the roads enough before an inch of snow from a snow squall last night turned D.C.-area roads into parking lots during the evening commute.

This morning in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is prepared for whatever comes its way.