Large swaths of the US East Coast declared a state of emergency, cancelled flights and shut&nbsp;schools&nbsp;as&nbsp;millions&nbsp;braced for potentially the worst winter storm of the season with up to two feet of snow forecast to fall.

Winter Storm Stella is expected to begin overnight with accumulation becoming&nbsp;most&nbsp;intense Tuesday morning,&nbsp;combined with winds of up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) to cause treacherous whiteout conditions.

The alarming forecast forced the postponement of the first meeting between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington from Tuesday until Friday.

New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency.

The National Weather Service issued a 24-hour blizzard warning from midnight Monday (0400 GMT Tuesday) for New York, America&#39;s financial capital and largest city, stretching north into Connecticut and south into New Jersey.

Additional winter storm warnings were posted from southern Maine to Virginia, south of Washington, where the National Park Service warned that the blustery weather could wipe out up to 90 per cent of the city&#39;s famed cherry blossoms.

In New York, UN headquarters will close and Wall Street largely expected to work from home with low trade volume anticipated, if also due to Wednesday&#39;s decision from the Federal Reserve on whether to raise interest rates.

More than 6,500 US flights were cancelled for Monday and Tuesday, with airports in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia hardest hit, according to the tracking service FlightAware.

Schools will close Tuesday in New York, Providence, Rhode Island and in towns across Connecticut and Massachusetts. In New York City, home to 8.4 million people, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency from midnight.

Blizzard conditions&nbsp; 
 
Non-essential state workers were told to stay home. In Connecticut, the governor announced a statewide travel ban from 5 am as Americans across the heavily populated northeast were advised to stay off the roads.

Trump, facing the first major weather event of his presidency after a mild winter, said Monday he had spoken to Homeland Security and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to provide assistance if necessary.

&quot;Everybody in government is fully prepared and ready,&quot; he said. &quot;Let&#39;s hope it&#39;s not going to be as bad as some people are predicting. Usually it isn&#39;t.&quot;

But de Blasio wasn&#39;t taking any chances, with 16 to 24 inches (41 to 61 centimeters) of snow forecast for New York and expected to fall as quickly as two to four inches an hour.

&quot;We&#39;re tracking a major storm with blizzard conditions,&quot; said de Blasio.&nbsp;

&quot;High end could be as much as 24 inches which would therefore put this in the category of one of the biggest snowstorms in recent memory,&quot; he said.

New York last year experienced the biggest snowstorm in the city&#39;s history with a record 27.3 inches falling in Central Park in 24 hours. Winter Storm Jonas paralysed parts of the Northeast and left 18 people dead.

This week&#39;s Winter Storm Stella formed near the coast, the collision of two low pressure systems expected to dump snow on a wide area home to tens of millions of Americans from the central Appalachian Mountains to New England.

Worst of season 
 
The heaviest snow is expected to wallop New York, parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

&quot;We&#39;re expecting it to be the worst snow of the season,&quot; National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Di Spigna told AFP, following winter temperatures &quot;well above normal&quot; this year.

The National Weather Service cautioned that the storm could bring record-low temperatures, as well as &quot;difficult travel and power outages.&quot;&nbsp;

Temperatures on Monday were already icy, with afternoon highs hovering around the freezing point.

Around 5,000 flights within, into or out of the United States have been cancelled for Tuesday, mostly along the East Coast, according to FlightAware.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo instructed residents to have seven to 10 days&#39; supply of food and an emergency supply of bottled water.

In New York, the subway will be suspended above ground at 4am (0800 GMT) and express subway service will end at midnight, with bus and commuter rail services into Long Island and north of the city also likely to be suspended.

In Washington, the Metro is planning to operate on a Saturday schedule and Metrobus will start the day on a &quot;severe&quot; modified schedule. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

A 24-hour blizzard warning has been issued for New York, stretching north into Connecticut and south into New Jersey

Large swaths of the US East Coast declared a state of emergency, cancelled flights and shut schools as millions braced for potentially the worst winter storm of the season with up to two feet of snow forecast to fall. Winter Storm Stella is expected to begin overnight with accumulation becoming most intense Tuesday morning, combined with winds of up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) to cause treacherous whiteout conditions. The alarming forecast forced the postponement of the first meeting between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington from Tuesday until Friday. New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency. The National Weather Service issued a 24-hour blizzard warning from midnight Monday (0400 GMT Tuesday) for New York, America's financial capital and largest city, stretching north into Connecticut and south into New Jersey. Additional winter storm warnings were posted from southern Maine to Virginia, south of Washington, where the National Park Service warned that the blustery weather could wipe out up to 90 per cent of the city's famed cherry blossoms. In New York, UN headquarters will close and Wall Street largely expected to work from home with low trade volume anticipated, if also due to Wednesday's decision from the Federal Reserve on whether to raise interest rates. More than 6,500 US flights were cancelled for Monday and Tuesday, with airports in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia hardest hit, according to the tracking service FlightAware. Schools will close Tuesday in New York, Providence, Rhode Island and in towns across Connecticut and Massachusetts. In New York City, home to 8.4 million people, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency from midnight. Blizzard conditions Non-essential state workers were told to stay home. In Connecticut, the governor announced a statewide travel ban from 5 am as Americans across the heavily populated northeast were advised to stay off the roads. Trump, facing the first major weather event of his presidency after a mild winter, said Monday he had spoken to Homeland Security and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to provide assistance if necessary. "Everybody in government is fully prepared and ready," he said. "Let's hope it's not going to be as bad as some people are predicting. Usually it isn't." But de Blasio wasn't taking any chances, with 16 to 24 inches (41 to 61 centimeters) of snow forecast for New York and expected to fall as quickly as two to four inches an hour. "We're tracking a major storm with blizzard conditions," said de Blasio. "High end could be as much as 24 inches which would therefore put this in the category of one of the biggest snowstorms in recent memory," he said. New York last year experienced the biggest snowstorm in the city's history with a record 27.3 inches falling in Central Park in 24 hours. Winter Storm Jonas paralysed parts of the Northeast and left 18 people dead. This week's Winter Storm Stella formed near the coast, the collision of two low pressure systems expected to dump snow on a wide area home to tens of millions of Americans from the central Appalachian Mountains to New England. Worst of season The heaviest snow is expected to wallop New York, parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Vermont. "We're expecting it to be the worst snow of the season," National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Di Spigna told AFP, following winter temperatures "well above normal" this year. The National Weather Service cautioned that the storm could bring record-low temperatures, as well as "difficult travel and power outages." Temperatures on Monday were already icy, with afternoon highs hovering around the freezing point. Around 5,000 flights within, into or out of the United States have been cancelled for Tuesday, mostly along the East Coast, according to FlightAware. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo instructed residents to have seven to 10 days' supply of food and an emergency supply of bottled water. In New York, the subway will be suspended above ground at 4am (0800 GMT) and express subway service will end at midnight, with bus and commuter rail services into Long Island and north of the city also likely to be suspended. In Washington, the Metro is planning to operate on a Saturday schedule and Metrobus will start the day on a "severe" modified schedule. (AFP)

Trump, Merkel meet cancelled over alarming snowstorm predictions

Winter Storm Stella dumped sleet and snow across the northeastern United States on Tuesday but spared New York from the worst after authorities cancelled thousands of flights and shut schools.

Blizzard warnings were in effect in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and upstate New York, but were lifted for New York City, the US financial capital home to 8.4 million residents, where snow turned to sleet, hail and rain.

Dire forecasts forced the postponement of the first meeting between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington until Friday, but in the end snowfall in the US capital was light.

The National Weather Service (NWS) revised down New York City&#39;s expected accumulation to four to eight inches (10 to 21 centimeters) but 10-13 inches was recorded in parts of New Jersey, upstate New York and Connecticut.

The trajectory of the storm shifted west and north, meaning up to two feet (60 centimeters) of snow were still expected to fall in parts of New England and upstate New York with strong winds causing whiteout conditions.

&quot;The storm is not delivering as much snow as forecasted at all and that is very good for the people of New York City, but the conditions are still very dangerous out there,&quot; Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters.

He urged people to stay indoors as much as possible, warning that snow, sleet and freezing rain would continue throughout the afternoon combined with wind gusts as high as 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour).

&#39;We&#39;re stuck&#39;

Temperatures would dip below freezing overnight, making roads and sidewalks dangerous and a city-wide state of emergency would remain in place until midnight (0400 GMT Wednesday), he said.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said New York had been worst hit in the central part of the state where 30 inches were predicted and where some of the more than 5,000 plows mobilized would be moving to help respond.

The NWS issued a coastal flood advisory for areas around New York, but while the subway and bus services were operating, much of the city remained quiet with schools, shops and businesses largely closed as workers shovelled snow.

New York&#39;s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and Newark Liberty International Airport were largely shut, with the majority of flights cancelled, and trains heading north also suspended.

&quot;We&#39;re stuck. We&#39;re completely at sea,&quot; said Andy McKinney, 71, on holiday from Arizona with his son after his train from New York to Boston was cancelled. &quot;It&#39;s not the end of the world but it is inconvenient.&quot;

The United Nations headquarters closed for the day, as did the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the busiest tourist attractions in the city, and the courts. De Blasio announced that schools would re-open Wednesday.

Early trade on the New York financial markets was low in volume, though at least partly due to Wednesday&#39;s decision from the Federal Reserve on whether to raise interest rates.

&#39;Unpredictable lady&#39;

More than 8,200 flights were canceled Monday through Wednesday, with airports in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia hit hardest, according to the tracking service FlightAware.

US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, tweeted a picture of the snow saying &quot;A great day to binge watch &#39;The Americans&#39;&quot; in reference to the thriller TV series about Russian spies embedded in US suburbia.

Trump&#39;s administration is under fire in Washington over allegations that Russia interfered in last year&#39;s US election.

&quot;Mother Nature is an unpredictable lady sometimes,&quot; Cuomo told reporters after meteorologists conceded it was no longer going to be the worst storm of the season on the US East Coast in what has been an unusually mild winter.

In 2016, a record 27.3 inches fell in Central Park in 24 hours in a storm that paralyzed parts of the northeast and left 18 people dead.

&quot;It has been less snowfall than we predicted, less disruption. We have no evidence of any coastal flooding along Long Island. We have no evidence of any power outages of any significance,&quot; the governor said.

The NWS said winter storm warnings were in effect from Maine down to eastern West Virginia, but snowfall further south was minimal.

A few inches of snow, sleet and ice covered the streets in the Washington area, where federal workers were allowed to arrive three hours late and the capital&#39;s subway system operated on a weekend schedule. 
 
(AFP)

Blizzard warnings were in effect in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and upstate New York, but were lifted for New York City

Winter Storm Stella dumped sleet and snow across the northeastern United States on Tuesday but spared New York from the worst after authorities cancelled thousands of flights and shut schools. Blizzard warnings were in effect in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts and upstate New York, but were lifted for New York City, the US financial capital home to 8.4 million residents, where snow turned to sleet, hail and rain. Dire forecasts forced the postponement of the first meeting between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington until Friday, but in the end snowfall in the US capital was light. The National Weather Service (NWS) revised down New York City's expected accumulation to four to eight inches (10 to 21 centimeters) but 10-13 inches was recorded in parts of New Jersey, upstate New York and Connecticut. The trajectory of the storm shifted west and north, meaning up to two feet (60 centimeters) of snow were still expected to fall in parts of New England and upstate New York with strong winds causing whiteout conditions. "The storm is not delivering as much snow as forecasted at all and that is very good for the people of New York City, but the conditions are still very dangerous out there," Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters. He urged people to stay indoors as much as possible, warning that snow, sleet and freezing rain would continue throughout the afternoon combined with wind gusts as high as 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour). 'We're stuck' Temperatures would dip below freezing overnight, making roads and sidewalks dangerous and a city-wide state of emergency would remain in place until midnight (0400 GMT Wednesday), he said. Governor Andrew Cuomo said New York had been worst hit in the central part of the state where 30 inches were predicted and where some of the more than 5,000 plows mobilized would be moving to help respond. The NWS issued a coastal flood advisory for areas around New York, but while the subway and bus services were operating, much of the city remained quiet with schools, shops and businesses largely closed as workers shovelled snow. New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and Newark Liberty International Airport were largely shut, with the majority of flights cancelled, and trains heading north also suspended. "We're stuck. We're completely at sea," said Andy McKinney, 71, on holiday from Arizona with his son after his train from New York to Boston was cancelled. "It's not the end of the world but it is inconvenient." The United Nations headquarters closed for the day, as did the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the busiest tourist attractions in the city, and the courts. De Blasio announced that schools would re-open Wednesday. Early trade on the New York financial markets was low in volume, though at least partly due to Wednesday's decision from the Federal Reserve on whether to raise interest rates. 'Unpredictable lady' More than 8,200 flights were canceled Monday through Wednesday, with airports in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia hit hardest, according to the tracking service FlightAware. US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, tweeted a picture of the snow saying "A great day to binge watch 'The Americans'" in reference to the thriller TV series about Russian spies embedded in US suburbia. Trump's administration is under fire in Washington over allegations that Russia interfered in last year's US election. "Mother Nature is an unpredictable lady sometimes," Cuomo told reporters after meteorologists conceded it was no longer going to be the worst storm of the season on the US East Coast in what has been an unusually mild winter. In 2016, a record 27.3 inches fell in Central Park in 24 hours in a storm that paralyzed parts of the northeast and left 18 people dead. "It has been less snowfall than we predicted, less disruption. We have no evidence of any coastal flooding along Long Island. We have no evidence of any power outages of any significance," the governor said. The NWS said winter storm warnings were in effect from Maine down to eastern West Virginia, but snowfall further south was minimal. A few inches of snow, sleet and ice covered the streets in the Washington area, where federal workers were allowed to arrive three hours late and the capital's subway system operated on a weekend schedule. (AFP)

Winter Storm Stella hits US Northeast, thousands of flights cancelled

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Trump, Merkel meet cancelled over alarming snowstorm predictions

Winter Storm Stella hits US Northeast, thousands of flights cancelled