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East Coast braces for powerful, potentially dangerous winter storm

Winter Weather Maryland
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The East Coast is bracing for a powerful winter storm known as a nor'easter.

According to The Weather Channel, the weather system will drop snow on an area ranging from northern Maine to North Carolina.

The highly-populated metro areas of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston are in the storm's path.

Some parts of New England may see as much as 2 feet of snow, forecasters say.

Coastal areas are expected to be hit the hardest. According to The Weather Channel, blizzard warnings have been issued on the Delmarva Peninsula, the New Jersey shoreline, eastern Massachusetts and parts of Maine.

People are encouraged to avoid traveling under blizzard warnings.

The system is caused by what meteorologists call a "bomb cyclone" — a rapid strengthening of a storm that occurs when low-pressure systems experience a further drop in barometric pressure.

According to The Weather Channel, the snow is expected to fall on the East Coast through Saturday.

More than 3,700 flights in and out of the East Coast were canceled Friday.

Delta, JetBlue and United Airlines have issued travel waivers to passengers affected by the East Coast storm.

They can rebook their flights without paying the fare difference.

Amtrak has also canceled several Saturday train service lines, including routes between Boston and New York, and Washington, D.C. and Boston.