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The White House blanketed by heavy snow - Source: Reuters -
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A powerful storm has slammed into the United States' east coast, threatening record snowfall in a region heavily dependent on home heating oil and natural gas supplies.
Forecasts of 50 to 76 cm of snow and near-blizzard conditions from Virginia to southern New Jersey prompted US government offices in the Washington area to close their doors four hours early on Friday.
President Barack Obama, who previously has made fun of the reaction in Washington to small amounts of snow, is not taking this storm lightly.
"I think even a transplanted Hawaiian to Chicago has sufficient respect for a forecast of nearly two feet (61 cm) of snow," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says.
"And being from Alabama, I am happy to inform you I will be getting off the road and watching you all try to drive."
The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington have been closed.
News of the storm brought school closings and long lines at supermarkets as frenzied area residents rushed to stock up on groceries and other supplies ahead of a traditional party weekend for watching the Super Bowl football game late on Sunday.
Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia have declared snow emergencies.
The declarations allow states to activate emergency agencies including the National Guard to help prepare for the wintry onslaught and cope with its aftermath.
The giant storm system is expected to engulf the cities of Baltimore, Washington DC, and Philadelphia in a heavy blanket of snow, while bringing heavy rain to sections of the southeast including the Carolinas and Georgia.
The cold has helped boost New York's spot natural gas market toward winter season highs, where prices reached about $US11.50 per million British thermal units on average, up more than $US4 from Thursday.
Spot gas for Chicago rose 10 cents to above $US5.70. Meanwhile, heating oil was little changed.
Freezing temperatures
Unseasonably cold temperatures are expected in the storm's wake next week in the US Northeast, which is the world's biggest heating oil market, and the Midwest, a large natural gas demand centre.
"Once we get through the weekend storm, much colder air will invade the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. The outlook for the northeast third of the country next week is looking much colder than normal," says Jim Rouiller, a senior energy meteorologist at private weather forecaster Planalytics.
Airlines have begun cancelling scheduled flights at the Washington-Baltimore area's three main airports.
Amtrak has suspended most of its passenger rail service to destinations south of Washington but says its Silver Service trains between New York and Miami will operate normally.
The same weather system brought heavy rains to parts of the south-eastern US including the Carolinas and Georgia while fuelling itself with fresh moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter-storm warning for Washington until late Saturday evening with isolated areas in for more than 76 cm of snow.
Local weather forecasters say the storm could bring the heaviest snowfall in 100 years to the area.
Authorities in some states have urged local residents to work from home rather than brave a difficult commute.
State have dispatchers ordered thousands of trucks equipped with plows and road salt to strategic locations where they could begin the job of clearing roadways once snow began falling.
Across the country on the West Coast, weather forecasters have issued a winter storm warning for Southern California's mountains, warning of heavy snow and gale-force winds.
Snow accumulations up to nearly 61 cm are expected in higher elevations, and mountain travellers have been warned that visibility could be cut to near zero.
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