Early reports indicate massive blizzard to strike northeastern portions of US late Thursday

Early media reports today indicate experts are predicting a massive blizzard to hit the northeastern United States late this evening. Such storms, coloquially called "Nor'easters", often wreak havoc across cities and smaller towns. The storm itself may ultimately stretch across 22 states, potentially effecting about one-third of the country's population.

The city of New York came under a winter storm warning late yesterday evening, with nine inches of snow predicted to fall. Sources also indicate Long Island may experience wind chills as severe as 10 below zero Fahrenheit (about 23 below zero Celsius). Boston schools were reportedly closed for tomorrow, though the press secretary for Boston's mayor had earlier, regarding braving cold weather, described New Englanders as "hardy".

By 2pm today Chicago O'Hare airport had experienced 592 flight cancellations. Many homeless shelters across the Northeast region are expected to be filled to capacity or beyond. Weather officials have speculated that next week, parts of Wisconsin could experience the coldest temperatures in nearly seventeen years, since February 1996.