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Potential record-breaking storm causing chaos in Northeast

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    Rick Reichmuth reports from New York

  • Duration 7:36
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Here's a look at Boston coming here you can see how hard the wind is blowing already.

Officials of activated hundreds of National Guard troops and -- -- all the route across the region.

To help with what could be the biggest storms -- -- -- -- seen in more than thirty years.

It's hitting over a wide swap.

Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont.

And of course the worst of it all in Massachusetts.

Where forecasters say up to three feet of snow could fall.

That would shatter all records were also expecting wind gusts around hurricane force 75 miles an hour.

And as if that weren't bad enough.

We're looking at a very dangerous storm -- Always concerned along the coast of high tidal surges.

Particularly Saturday mornings when it going to be a tough surge.

And again a live look in Boston people all across the northeast have been stocking up on supplies and making preparations in case they lose power.

Widespread power outages are predicted state and national leaders all have a similar message today.

Do yourself from the state of favor and Wednesday off but the highways stay off the city's streets you don't have.

He's really you know the -- of snow -- and reduce visibility during the evening rush hour in particular we'll make safe travel.

Nearly impossible.

In fact Governor Patrick of Massachusetts has -- and all traffic from the roads as of three hours ago.

This video from before that order took effect it's believed to be the first statewide driving banned since 1978.

-- it any risk of 500 dollar fine.

Trains are not much of an option in the heavily traveled northeast either Amtrak suspended much of its northeast rail service today.

And if you're trying to fly.

To or from anywhere in this region.

As New Yorkers would say forget about it airlines have canceled thousands upon thousands of flights for today and tomorrow.

And here's what it looks like right now right around a quarter in Times Square in New York.

We're in a bit of a lol right now as predicted they're expecting it to hit full force about an hour from now and after that.

Forecasters say we could see one to two inches of snow per hour.

All night long.

Other areas could see a rate two to three times that we're told.

-- to really appreciate the size of this blizzard take a look at it from space.

That long swap -- curbing thing on the left that's the Arctic storm coming in and the one on the right it's swirling -- kinda looks like a hurricane.

That's the one that's brought all the gulf moisture and when they slam into each other.

That's snow apocalypse this image from a satellite orbiting the earth at a distance of around 22000 miles you can see the system colliding to reduce what we just said.

And 44 million people.

Or in the way.

We have team fox coverage Jonathan -- live in lower Manhattan the -- -- let's get to Rick -- you in the fox extreme weather center what's the latest Rick.

Today those two storms about to come together right now the center of the stronger storm which is a nor'easter is still about 200 miles here offshore to the south of Boston but this energy getting very very close.

And as those two storms get together that's when we expect to see very rapid strengthening of the storm.

One point out -- you look at the radar you can see this a little more clearly on the radar that the -- side of the radar -- these yellows and the reds.

That's where you have like -- -- what we normally would see is a -- band.

But that also means you end up with heavier snow band so we can't predict exactly where those heavy snow bands will line up.

But where they do this and it was very very heavy in areas of the eastern end of Long Island right now.

Are seeing some of the heaviest snowfall rates anywhere and all of that snow will -- will.

Back towards New York City.

And eventually up towards Boston where they're already getting it obviously but they're gonna get a little bit more they see that little wall that's a little chip that you were just talking about across parts of New Jersey we're gonna see some of this right here heavier -- circle back towards new York and then that energy comes in within the next hour to two hours.

And that's -- we're gonna see things get very very interest in this is a look at what it looks like -- can see those little breaks back there.

But you notice pretty much everybody snow -- -- but our eastern tip of Long Island.

Where that is all about to change that we remain all snow all night long.

-- 5 o'clock in the morning we clear things out towards New York City but we remain all snow up towards Boston until -- afternoon hours.

Tomorrow take a look at uphold that is behind this though captured -- -- so called in places like new York and a lot of long and they had that very thick layer of slush.

On the ground before.

Well that's all -- -- freeze and we've got a very rough one for most of the day tomorrow we don't get about freezing.

And tomorrow night Temps are going to be downright cold for most in the single digits.

Or low -- so all that it's gonna continue to free Asia what are you predicting for accumulations richt hasn't changed a whole lot that Boston area I still think we're around the two foot total by the time this is done.

New York has been the one thing that we haven't been so sure we're still saying around seven to eight inches or so.

Of -- additional accumulation we've already had a couple of inches in and around the area.

But Boston you put that -- 22 point eight that -- picture -- the earliest storm.

Ever we're going to be right in that range of one of their.

Biggest storms that they've ever seen hot.

You know these two storm systems colliding one that.

The Canadian sort of storm in the other -- gulf sort of storm to tell me how that happens and how often.

Well it's not all that uncommon when you get these two storms what you what doesn't happen all that often is where the two storms phase together at the exact same time.

And I have to tell yet.

We had thought this storm would face together kind of at that perfect time I think we're actually delayed by about an hour true.

And that might cause a little bit of weakness at least on the western side so places like New York where the models have been having that hard time deciding is -- thirty inches or is it three inches.

Well I think he's a -- together a little bit later than anticipated and that might keep the snow totals.

Down just a little bit but keep them still very very high across eastern New England so it's not uncommon -- to get that that's kind of a typical thing that we see very often.

With these racers.

Looks like UPS is still -- hey Rick I was watching our local fox station here today -- fox five.

And they were saying how lucky we are -- it was 3536 degrees today because so much to the so that we got what -- washed away -- thinking we could have had six or seven inches by now the -- into the sewers.

Yet -- absolutely especially with that if it falls they do go out and measuring sweep it off and start the measuring again so.

What ends up being the final number four it might actually not be what you go out tomorrow morning.

And see because they've they've swept off and as you said but it melts and and runs away but a lot of what happened today wasn't just -- it was that slushy.

I see stuff that accumulates and gets very very slick a lot of the roads and that's why.

Once we get this snow falling in the next hour too on top of that -- the -- plummeting we're gonna have ice and then snow on top of and that makes his -- very rough.

Big problem in Boston Rick as you know that the streets are so narrow -- you get it -- there's just nowhere to put it.

What what what is the weather look like for -- -- Monday morning commute.

Monday isn't that bad in fact most of the areas briefly -- a warm up well above freezing to around the forty degree mark for much of the day Monday but that much -- -- gonna take them a lot longer than that get rid of and you said it.

Those streets are ruled the world -- pads but how they -- most of those roads in Boston they're very very narrow you get two feet of snow three feet of snow there.

He tried to -- -- and some move it to some place there's no place to put it.

And it causes major major problems in the Boston area Rick -- he's keeping us updated all night Rick appreciated.