
Snow and sleet pounded a large swath of the East Coast on Saturday, killing three and coating roads with ice and causing hundreds of crashes.

In Kentucky a man died when his pickup truck went off a snow-slickened road Thursday.

The Weather Channel reported that two other deaths in Oregon and Maine have also been blamed on the weather.

Thousands of people lost power and forecasters warned of blizzard-like conditions from Virginia to parts of the Northeast.

An estimated 73million Americans from as far north as Maine and as far south as Mississippi are under winter weather storm warnings, according to NBC.

Of the lower 48 states, 19 are now being affected by either winter storm warnings or advisories.

The snow storm, Helena, is gradually moving toward the mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, with warnings and advisories in effect along the coasts and up through New England, according to The National Weather Service.

New York City is expected to see between three and five inches of snow today, while forecasters predict as much as eight inches in Long Island.

Authorities in Connecticut had to shut down Interstate 91 in both directions after a 30-car pileup clogged traffic, according to NBC Connecticut.

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Authorities in Connecticut had to shut down Interstate 91 in both directions after a 30-car pileup clogged traffic in Middletown (above)

Police said the crash near exit 21 involved at least 20 cars, three tractor trailers and a tanker. No serious injuries were reported

The mayor of Middletown said that fuel tanks from at least two of the trucks ruptured, spilling diesel fuel onto the highway

More than 50 flights were canceled at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport on Saturday. An American Airlines jet is seen above at JFK

Hundreds of flights were canceled in the South, mid-Atlantic, and Northeast on Saturday

A snow plow heads south on I-85 during a snowstorm on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina, as ice and sleet accumulated on highways throughout the South

A very white house! The White House with a fresh dusting of snow in Washington, DC, on Saturday

Temperatures dip: A groundskeeper clears snow from the North Portico of the White House in Washington, U.S

An American Airlines plane is de-iced by airport workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport early Saturday

Daniel Mitchell operates a snowblower along the sidewalk on Norfolk Ave next to Randolph College on Lynchburg, Virginia, on Saturday

Mark Blackwell with Bradley Wrecker Service pulls a truck from a ditch on West Boulevard near Charlotte Douglas International Airport early Saturday

Police said the crash near exit 21 involved at least 20 cars, three tractor trailers and a tanker. No serious injuries were reported.

The mayor of Middletown said that fuel tanks from at least two of the trucks ruptured, spilling diesel fuel onto the highway.

State workers were at the scene trying to clean up the spill, the mayor said.

NBC Connecticut is updating a list of local institutions that have closed due to the weather.

Hundreds of flights were canceled, according to NBC, more than 50 flights were canceled at New York JFK and Newark airports early Saturday. Delta canceled 175 flights, most of which were into and out of its hub in Atlanta.

Police investigated several fatal crashes as potentially storm-related, but some of the South's biggest cities — Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh — appeared to avoid the worst of the storm.

Authorities praised residents for learning the lessons of past storms that resulted in icy gridlock, where thousands of people were stranded along the interstates. But officials warned that bitter cold would keep roads treacherous well after the snow and sleet stopped.

'If I tell you anything it would be stay home,' North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. 'Do not go out and drive on the roads unless you absolutely have to.'

Cooper was supposed to have been sworn in Saturday at an outdoor ceremony attended by thousands.

He instead rushed through a 20-minute indoor oath-taking Friday.

'Consider yourselves the chosen few,' Cooper jokingly told family, friends and well-wishers able to attend his swearing-in Friday.

North Carolina cities Burlington, Greensboro and Roxboro received eight inches or more of snow, and several inches fell in southeast Virginia, where a blizzard warning was issued for the cities along the coast.

North Carolina reported more than 250 crashes, while Virginia had more than 100.

In Charlotte alone, 35 accidents were reported since 10pm on Friday, according to NBC News.

Hundreds of crashes were reported in Tennessee starting Friday.

Some of these were fender benders involving school buses driving along roads that were covered by up to two inches of snow.

An SUV slides across the highway in Birmingham as winter storm creates icy conditions across the South

A Virginia transit employee watches as a motorist tries to take the exit for I-64 in Hampton, Virginia, on Saturday

Chilly work! Michael Warren shovels snow outside of the Golden Corral in Hampton, Va., Saturday

Snow is cleared from the Mount Rose Highway during a winter storm near Incline Village, Nevada

Power outages had grown to about 25,000 in North Carolina alone, according to a news release from the governor. Nearly half were in the Charlotte area and adjacent Union County, according to Duke Power.

In Cornelius, north of Charlotte, Matt Thomas said he used a ruler to measure nearly six inches of snow and sleet that had piled up on the back of his pickup truck. He planned to spend the weekend enjoying the snow and watching television. A plow passed through his neighborhood, but the road still looked slippery.

'The sleet started first, so there's definitely a layer of ice under the snow,' he said by phone. 'I'm staying home.'

The unpredictable storm left some areas with much different outcomes than neighboring counties. Unofficial totals from the National Weather Service showed that much of Raleigh and Charlotte had two inches or less of precipitation — much of it sleet — while areas to the north of both cities got several inches of snow.

In Atlanta and parts of Georgia, people who were expecting a couple of inches of snow instead woke up to a thin coat of ice. Still, it didn't stop children from sliding down slick grassy hills in what is a once- or twice-a-year icy occurrence.

Devastation: A tree is seen above after it fell in front a home in southwestern Atlanta

The icy roads are taking their toll, as evidenced by the above photo showing a motorist skid off the highway near Marietta, Georgia

Some took to social media to complain that they didn't have anything to sled in, prompting an apologetic Tweet from one well-known Raleigh weatherman.

'To all my detractors, more than 24 hours ago I began talking about how this snow event could go up in smoke. I try to be honest-all I can do,' WRAL-TV chief meteorologist Greg Fishel said early Saturday.

A blizzard warning for southeast Virginia accompanied forecasts of high winds and up to nine inches of snow there. The National Weather Service had already measured nearly six inches of snow at its post in Wakefield on Saturday.

Even with snow coating Virginia Beach roads, diners and staff made it to the popular breakfast spot Citrus.

'When there's bad weather, people come out,' manager Tara Junke said. 'I've worked in restaurants for 20 years in Hampton Roads and we've never shut down for snow.'

Chris Turner, 58, a health care analyst sitting at the counter with a mug of tea, said he drove seven miles to his usual breakfast spot, aided by four-wheel drive.

'It's fun to enjoy mother nature in all her glory,' he said. 'I'd rather be out. I can't stay at home.'

A runner along East Morehead Street near uptown Charlotte braves the heavy snowfall on Saturday

People bundle against the cold and snow as they walk downtown in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday

An estimated 73million Americans from as far north as Maine and as far south as Mississippi are under winter weather storm warnings early Saturday morning. Pedestrians are seen on a street in downtown Newark on Saturday

Of the lower 48 states, 19 are now being affected by either winter storm warnings or advisories. A man is bundled as he stands in the snow in Newark

Raleigh-Durham International Airport said its staff worked through the night to clear runways.

It said most airlines had canceled flights through mid-morning.

Most flights have been canceled at Norfolk's airport because of the winter storm, the latest disruption to hit airports in the region.

The website for Norfolk International Airport shows that every arriving flight has been cancelled for Saturday, as well as most departing flights.

In North Carolina, Raleigh's airport said there were many cancellations and it expected very few flights to arrive or depart on Saturday.

The Charlotte airport said it would open with limited operations after de-icing 70 planes on Friday and plowing of the airfield.

It advised travelers to check their carrier for cancellations.

Atlanta's airport said that some flights have been canceled but that regular takeoffs and landings were resuming.

With southeast Virginia next in the storm's path, police in Newport News say roads in the city are 'extremely hazardous.'

The National Weather Service reports nearly six inches of snow at its Wakefield office.

The Virginia National Guard says about 200 members are staged at firehouses around southeast Virginia with Humvees and trucks to help police and firefighters.

This map shows the snow precipitation as of mid-day on Saturday. The storm was making its way from the Southeast to the Mid-Atlantic and up the eastern seaboard to New England

Blizzard conditions are expected to be felt in southeast New England, particularly the Boston and Rhode Island areas

Most flights have been canceled at Norfolk's airport because of the winter storm, the latest disruption to hit airports in the region. The map above shows blizzard warnings in effect for Norfolk

Unseasonably cold temperatures were recorded in the South on Saturday morning, creating conditions for a rare snowstorm

The National Weather Service said early Saturday that cities including Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Roxboro had more than six inches of snow and sleet

The low temperatures mean that icy roads can be expected for the next couple of days

Low temperatures in the single digits are expected for places like Knoxville, Tennessee, and Raleigh, North Carolina, this weekend

The most snowfall is forecast for slightly off of the coast of the eastern seaboard, though most areas will likely see between three and five inches

The cold temperatures are part of a winter spell that is stretching from the Appalachians and into New England

Much of North Carolina is under a winter storm warning until 7pm Saturday and southeast Virginia was under a blizzard warning.

Meanwhile, ice and snow on some roads in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia made driving hazardous.

'Whenever snow comes people get really excited. I'm a little excited,' said Donovan Cheatham, who studies music at North Carolina Central University and plays in jazz bands.

He and roommate Collin Williams said if they get snowed in, they may miss a paying gig but will jam anyway - Collins on alto saxophone and Cheatham on drums.

'Practice. We'll get a lot of practice in,' Williams said.

Lauren Rathbone, manager of Public Hardware in Durham, North Carolina, said the store sold out of more than 100 sleds Friday, along with bags and bags of ice melt to treat driveways and walks.

Ice sickles form on a rail after a winter storm hit the South in Calera, Alabama

A person catches a ride on the icy highway after leaving their car on the side of the road near Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday

Chad Denman helps push motorists up Crystal Hill Rd. in North Little Rock, Arkansas on Friday

Josh Skaggs walks down JFK Blvd. in North Little Rock, Arkansas on Friday

A car is loaded onto a flatbed wrecker after it crashed at the corner of Lanese Dockery Drive and Union University Drive in Jackson, Tennessee on Friday

Beckett Thomas and Amaya Kindle sled down a hill at The Greens of North Hills golf course in Sherwood, Arkansas, on Friday

Jackson Bernard, 8, takes a spin down a snow-covered Lakeshore Drive on his sled as Lizzy Phillips and Lady Dog look on in North Little Rock, Arkansas, on Friday

Luis Morales laughs as Salvador Damazo crashes into him, while pushing him, down a hill at the West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex in Jackson, Tennessee, on Friday

Nathan Williamson, left, Ashlynne Clifft, Amy Clifft, Alyssa Clifft and Christen Long make their way to the top of the hill at the West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex in Jackson

Abby Pittman, 14, slides down a large hill at Craighead Forest Park in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Friday

Riley Cotton, 7, enjoys sledding in the snow at Medi Park, after an overnight storm blanketed Amarillo, Texas, on Friday

Randall County Emergency responders work an accident at Interstate 27 and Highway 2219, after a driver slide off the service road, in Amarillo, Texas, on Friday

Daniel Patricio spreads sand onto the sidewalk of Trustmark Bank at the intersection of Clay and Washington Street in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on Friday

Delta passengers wait in line in hopes of catching their flight out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as monitors display flight information on Friday

Ice forms on a windshield after a winter storm hit the South on Saturday near Pelham, Alabama

Traffic backs up due to ice and snowy weather conditions on I-65 North early Saturday morning near Birmingham, Alabama

Davis Harry (left), 14, and James Young (right), 12, and reacts as he sleds down a hill during a winter storm which moved through Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday

Margaret Young (left), 10, and an unidentified young girl sleds down a hill during a winter storm which moved through Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday

Much of North Carolina is under a winter storm warning until 7pm Saturday and southeast Virginia was under a blizzard warning

Some took to sledding in snow-coated northern Atlanta suburbs and in Tennessee.

Meanwhile California is preparing for heavy rains not seen in a decade. Officials said up to 12 inches of rain is expected in the lower-lying areas of the state, according to The Los Angeles Times.

The rain is in addition to the heavy snowfall - up to 6 feet in some areas - that has accumulated in the regions above 8,500 feet that comprise the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Some rain showers were reported in the San Francisco area, but that's just the beginning of what's expected this weekend.

'We're expecting heavy, heavy rain. It starts out as snow then turns to rain then turns to snow again,' Hammitt said. 'We're concerned about the melt increasing waterways and all the lakes.'

'People are definitely in a state of panic right now,' said El Dorado County sheriff's Sgt. Todd Hammitt.

'We're getting a lot of calls asking if we're going to be able to deal with everything. It's the general pandemonium of not knowing what's coming.'

The combination of rain and melting snow could create the conditions for some of the worst flooding in California in at least 20 years, according to AccuWeather.

'There is the potential for excessive rain, combined with melting snow to trigger the worst flooding in northern California since 1997 and perhaps 1986,' an executive with AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions, Mike Smith, said.

An 'atmospheric river' weather system dumped rain and snow in California on Thursday, and forecasters said another, stronger, plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean would slam the state during the weekend.

Snow is cleared above from a residential road during a winter storm in Incline Village, Nevada. Up to six feet of snow are expected in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the coming days

An 'atmospheric river' weather system dumped rain and snow on California on Thursday

Forecasters said another, stronger, plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean would slam the state during the weekend and into next week

An atmospheric river is a long and narrow region of the atmosphere that horizontally transports moisture out of the tropics

The system prompted heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada, where the Mammoth Mountain ski resort reported accumulations ranging from 44 inches to 7 feet in 1½ days

An atmospheric river is a long and narrow region of the atmosphere that horizontally transports moisture out of the tropics, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

An atmospheric river that brings moisture to the West Coast from near Hawaii is sometimes called a 'Pineapple Express.'

The system prompted heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada, where the Mammoth Mountain ski resort reported accumulations ranging from 44 inches to 7 feet in 1½ days, with more falling.

The snowfall closed mountain routes or forced chain and snow tire requirements.