NEW YORK — A winter that has largely spared the Northeast thus far is about to arrive with gusto: A storm the National Weather Service called "potentially historic" could dump 2 to 3 feet of snow from northern New Jersey to Connecticut.
A blizzard warning was issued for New York and Boston, and the National Weather Service said the massive storm would bring heavy snow and powerful winds starting Monday and into Tuesday.
"This could be a storm the likes of which we have never seen before," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at a news conference Sunday.
De Blasio held up a piece of paper showing the city's top 10 snowstorms and said this one could land at the top of a list that goes back to 1872. "Don't underestimate this storm. Prepare for the worst," he said as he urged residents to plan to leave work early Monday.
Boston is expected to get 18 to 24 inches of snow, and Philadelphia could see 14 to 18 inches, the weather service said Sunday.
The storm system driving out of the Midwest brought snow to Ohio on Sunday and was expected to ultimately spread from the nation's capital to Maine.
Lesser totals were forecast for the Washington area — a coating or a bit more — with steadily increasing amounts expected as the storm plods its way north. The storm promised treacherous travel by both land and air throughout the busy northeast corridor.
Farther north, a blizzard warning was issued for Boston from Monday night through early Wednesday. Wind gusts of 60 mph or more are possible on Cape Cod, forecasters said.