Today, saturday, january 23rd 2016. Announcer from nbc news this is a special edition of today blizzard 2016. Live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Welcome to today. Im erica hill. Hardy souls. Im alongside Sheinelle Jones and al roker. We have dylan dreyer out in the field along with our meteorologists. This is all of the effected states and those under a blizzard warning. The warning from virginia to southern connecticut. Already so much going on. Lets get the latest on the storm. The snow is falling fast. 1 to 3 inches per hour. Already washington, d. C. Has more than a foot of snow on the ground. They are expected to get more than 2 feet. Philadelphia 9 inches already. They are expecting up to 2 feet as well. Here in new york, we are now expecting more snow than originally predicted. At least 3 inches at this hour but up to a foot or more we are told when it is all over. The storm has life threatening blizzard conditions. A storm this big has not been seen in washington, d. C. In nearly 100 years. No surprise the roads are dangerous. People are told to stay inside. Thousands of accidents. At least ten People Killed on the roads. The storm is a huge mess as you can imagine. Lets get to dylan dreyer who joins us from the Nations Capital. Reporter good morning, erica. This hit washington, d. C. With a vengeance. We already have more than a foot of snow on the ground. At the coast in virginia and delaware, we had reports of wind gusts of 65 to 75 Miles Per Hour. One report in virginia up to 85 miles an hour. Thunder snow reported in baltimore. That goes to show you the intensity of the storm. We will see the conditions continue all through the night with blizzard warnings not expiring until tomorrow morning. The Nations Capital taking a direct hit. Washington, d. C. Expected to be buried under as much as 2 feet of snow by the end of the storm. Stay off the roads if you dont need to be on the roads. Reporter the storms scope reaches from the carolinas to new york has turned deadly. Fatal crashes in virginia and North Carolina. Hit had the brakes and when you hit the brakes they lock up. Reporter thousands of crashes locked up major roads up and down the east coast. And many lucky enough to avoid accidents still ended up spinning wheels like wsnb reporter in nashville. I am stuck. I have the pedal to the metal. Im not moving. Reporter governors in ten states and District Of Columbia have declared state of emergencies. The National Guard has deployed 400 personnel to help the sickened and stranded. Shelters are opened to help homeless survive freezing conditions. We cannot have people outside. It is unsafe. Reporter 21 degrees with the windchill of 8 when rescuers in virginia saved this Saint Bernard who fell through the ice. The plowing started wednesday and wont be done until sunday. Airports are empty. More than 6,000 flights have been canceled since friday. Delays rippling across the country. We got warnings from everyone. If you dont get in to new york by friday dont think about it until monday. Reporter amtrak is operating on a modified schedule. Greyhound is cancelling service for much of the east coast. Blizzard conditions from washington to new york. Winds up to 60 Miles Per Hour and nearly 140,000 people are already struggling in the cold without power. Now we followed this storm from roanoke, virginia yesterday to here in washington, d. C. What should take four hours took us nine hours on the road. We are going to attempt to get to new york city today by taking i95. I know we just told you we shouldnt be on the roads. I want to point out we are traveling in the blue mobile. This is a satellite truck that will be able to feed you guys our trip from here up along i95 to new york city. It is an extremely heavy truck and we are taking it very slow. We will update you over the course of the show on the travels. I dont think we will be too far from where we are now the next time we see you. Slow and steady will win that race. Thank you, dylan. The question is when will all the snow let up and when it is all done how much snow on the ground . Al is here this morning with that and more. It will be done in about 24 hours, but we are dealing with the effects of this into next week easily with the Power Outages and snow. We will have to get rid of it. Look at the swath from montauk to the appalachian. Here is why we ended up upping the amounts. The storm moved further north than predicted. We have blizzard warnings from virginia all the way to marthas vineyard. Winds of 35 Miles Per Hour or more and sustained as you get in for three hours or so. It also means you have visibility of less than a quarter of a mile. Cranberry, new jersey 7 inches of snow. You go to Atlantic City right now, they are looking at 6 inches of snow. It is still coming down. At this point, it is falling at about a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour. So heres what we look for as far as the accumulations. Keep in mind we will look at winds gusting over 50 Miles Per Hour. Heavy snow for washington and baltimore. 24 inches or more when all is said and done. For philadelphia central and southern new jersey, heavy snow into the early afternoon. 18 to 24 inches of snow with winds gusting up to 40 Miles Per Hour. In the new york area, we expect to see 18 to 24 inches of snow. This heavy snow continuing into the afternoon. Winds gusting up to 50 Miles Per Hour. We are looking at blizzard conditions. New haven, 8 to 12 inches. Providence at 3 to 6. Boston will see 2 to 4 inches. We have coastal flood advisories from delmarva and all the coast. We will deal with this for a long time to come into next week. Al thank you. You will need a lot of rest. Keeping your eye on this. Another rokerthon coming up. It will be all day on nbcnews. Com. Two days ago washington d. C. Was almost brought to a standstill with just a brushing of snow. Is the city equipped to handle this storm . The washington mayor, mayor bowser is here with us. Good morning. My pleasure. What is the conditions this morning . As you have been reporting all morning, we are in the eye of the significant storm. A storm we have not seen like this in washington, d. C. In 94 years. We got out early pretreating our streets, closing our government and schools on friday. Really encouraged everybody to get home. We have seen since yesterday, with snow starting about 1 00 13 inches fall and we think the forecast is going to hold. We are going to get at least another foot. Back in the 90s, heavy snowfall shutdown washington, d. C. For an entire week. How is this storm . This is a blizzard with sustained winds. We prepared our residents and stay inside for 36 hours. We are seeing the winds pick up today. Very hazardous conditions. Nobody should really be out on the roads. Were keeping our roads passable for emergency vehicles. Tomorrow if it stops as it is planned to, the big digout will proceed. Mayor, when there was less than 2 inches in washington, d. C. Two days ago, people were stuck in the cars for hours. The president had to use the motorcade back to the white house slipping and sliding. Are things different this time around . Theres no similarity to tell you the truth. This blizzard has been forecast for several days. Our entire apparatus is running out of other homeland and Emergency Management agency. We have all of our resources fully deployed. Washington mayor bowser thank you. Thank you. Everybody stay safe. I want to head where the snow is less of an issue at this hour. Heavy amounts of ice could cause problems for millions if the south. We have nbcs Gabe Gutierrez joining us from charlotte, North Carolina with more on that angle. Gabe good morning. Reporter erica, good morning. More than 130,000 customers in North Carolina are without power and we take a live look from the air. You can see there has been plenty of snow and sleet here in the charlotte area but thankfully not as much freezing rain as you had initially expected. There are about 1,200 crashes or so in the North Carolina area including at least six deaths. A Good Samaritan was killed police say, when he was shot by the stranded motorist he was trying to help allegedly under the influence. Travel here is a nightmare. American airlines is expected to resume flights in the area. The area is preparing for the huge Football Game hosted here by the carolina panthers. Yesterday, they practiced in the snow. A major pep rally was canceled. The team says they are ready for tomorrow. Today, workers will take the tarp off the field to be able to dry it out in time for the big game. A bit more sleet is also expected here in North Carolina throughout the morning. It is expected to move out later today. Guys back to you. Gabe gutierrez this morning. Gabe thank you. It is not just massive amounts of snow ice and high winds that have people worried. For many along the coast, the storm surge that brings flooding could cause problems this weekend. We have nbcs rehema ellis along the coast with more on that. Good morning. Reporter good morning, jose. It is a tough morning out here. We had winds gusts above 50 miles an hour. Im holding on so i can stay on the air. There is a real concern about what could happen here. During Hurricane Sandy in 2012 this building where i am right now, was torn apart during the storm. The city around the coastal area they spent the last couple days with bulldozers pushing as much sand as they could up against to protect the areas and water coming from the atlantic ocean. They are not so worried about the inches of snow they will get. They are worried about the water from the atlantic ocean. It is to my left right now and it is brutal. Atlantic ocean, you can i can barely hold my position here because the wind is that strong coming off the ocean. No one is out and about. They are heeding the warnings. Stay inside and just hunker down. Thank you very much. That satellite uplink is difficult because the winds are so strong. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was supposed to be on the campaign trail this weekend. He returned to his home state to help his residents. He joins us now. Governor good to have you here with us. Im not sure you could see rehema ellis. She is on the coast of new jersey. Where is your focus this morning, governor . Is it the coastal area . It is not more than any other part of the state. We do not expect major flooding on the coast. We expect some street flooding which is fairly typical for storm events on the coast in new jersey. At least as of now, were not expecting any type of major flooding incidents along the coast. They will be a bit better off from the snow perspective as rehema mentioned in her report. In the other parts of the state, we have heavier snow than we thought we were 6 to 18 inches in the north. Up to 2 feet in central and inland and southern part of the state. As you well know there was a fair amount of criticism in timing of leaving the campaign trail in New Hampshire to return home to new jersey. How do you answer those critics . I dont know why they would be critical. I was here last night before the first snow flake dropped. So i dont understand any basis for criticism. My view was i wanted the best information i possibly could as to whether my presence was needed here. Once i got the final forecast at 11 00 yesterday morning, i made the decision at 11 30 to be home. Despite the fact flights were canceled. I drove from New Hampshire back to new jersey. I was home last night before 8 00 p. M. I know you have been advising folks to stay home. You talked about the when in your estimation will it be safe for folks to be out again . You know i would think tomorrow, the way it looks now. I think today and tonight folks should expect that this is an inside day for them. Were doing really well though in terms of keeping our roads passable for emergency vehicles. And others who absolutely have to be on the roads. Up in the north we still have mostly wet roads with traffic, moving pretty freely. In the central and southern areas the roads are snow covered due to the heavy snowfall. But all of the roadways are passable. 35mileanhour restriction on the major roads like the new jersey turnpike and the garden state parkway. Our department of transportation has over 3800 pieces of equipment out there right now spreading salt and sand and moving snow off the roadways, so you know right now we feel like were doing well from that perspective. Weve got about 17,000 Power Outages so far across the state, most of those focused in the southern part of the state about 15,000 of them being in cape may county. We know youll be a busy man today. Appreciate you taking time for us. Thanks. Thank you very much. The snow is falling quickly in philadelphia as well. That city expected to see two feet when its said and done. Jacob rascon is in philly with more. Good morning. Good morning. This storm is everything that philadelphia expected and more thinking a foot and a half now thinking up to two feet of snow the snow has been falling at 2 to 3 inches an hour in some areas and they are blizzard conditions, sustained winds above 30 miles an hour with gusts well above 40 and this snow is not expected to stop all day. There is a blizzard warning and winter storm warning in effect here and the surrounding areas through tomorrow morning at 3 00 a. M. Of course the airport is closed or saying there are no flights in or out of the airport all day, this airport and three other airports as well and as you can tell, the wind is pretty bad. Its pretty miserable out here. The problem the plows say is that they are trying to plow all of the roads but they cant even get done with the primary roads because they go and as soon as they are done with one they have to turn around and do it again because of the wind. They havent even gotten they said to the secondary roads, they are advising nobody be out and driving today in philadelphia. Jacob, thank you very much. If you had a trip planned this weekend and didnt get out ahead of the Storm Chances are youre staying put. Nearly 7,000 Flights Canceled since this storm began. Several airports shut down. And could be a while before everything is up and running. Kristen dahlgren is at new york. Good morning. Pretty lonely here. Let me step out of the way. This is something you cant see often, an empty laguardia airport. There are about two dozen stranded passengers in the food court, didnt get the memo didnt get the emails that their flights were canceled so they are here scrambling trying to figure out what to do whether to get a hotel, whether to sleep here. It is a mess nation wide though. Take a look. 4100 more than 4100 cancellations nation wide. The worst airports, the new york area, topping that list almost 400 cancellations at jfk, newark has more than 300 here at laguardia more than 250. Thats about i think thats optimistic. Security here, no flights getting in or out. Also philadelphia and then the d. C. Area airports really having a tough day. Its not just those airports. Were seeing the misery across the country. Some airports like miami, like ft. Lauderdale, even los angeles seeing cancellations today because of this storm. Its interconnected and of course if you have cancellations here those flights arent getting here the aircraft arent in the right place, so really a difficult day if you are traveling anywhere in the nation. That it is. Thanks. Your flight canceled. I was going to say. I had my flight to miami tomorrow canceled yesterday by the airline. They texted. Dont bother coming. Come over for dinner. Im loving that man. Thanks. Well have much more on the blizzard throughout the morning. We want to get to other news. Politics nine days until the iowa caucuses. Candidates in both parties are shar candidates are sharpening attacks as they work to getting a high voter turnout. Nbcs Kristen Welker is at the airport. Reporter jose good morning to you. The candidates will be out in force despite the weather making their closing arguments with the voters about to weigh in. I approve this message. Reporter the two gop frontrunners battling it out on the air waves. Donald trump hitting ted cruz over immigration. Sounded like you wanted the bill to pass. Of course i wanted the bill to pass. Reporter and cruz trying to paint trump as establishment. Trump and cruz will court voters in iowa today with the bitter fight dividing the party. The conservative Magazine National review released its against trump issue. Rebuke of the businessman. We are making an argument that donald trump has not been with conservatives, he wont be with conservatives. Reporter some have warmed to trump fearing cruz is more divisive. 2016 is fast becoming a race where establishment is a dirty word even for democrats. Bernie sanders surging, painting himself as an outsider. I want to say a word on the issue that secretary clinton and i disagree on. That is the incredible power of wall street. Reporter and Hillary Clinton trying to show she is the most qualified candidate. We need a president who can do all aspects of the job. Reporter the question now . Just how strong is the antiestablishment surge . This is a good year to be an insurgent. You hear many on both sides saying i support, fill in the blank, because nobody else says it like that. He says the truth. He is telling it like it is. Reporter last night, donald trump sounded off on jeb bush for putting his mom in the campaign ad. Tweeting quote, jeb desperately needed mommy to help him. Jeb, mommy cant help you with isis or putin. A video trying to help people find caucus locations was released by his campaign. Jose and erica, back to you. Kristen, thank you. Where was donald trump when i was in high school . He is available now. Al is back with a look of the rest of the countrys forecast. There are people who are not dealing with snow today . There are. In the mid section of the country. Look at this. Pacific northwest, you have rain and snow