
Blizzard warnings have been issued in eight Northeastern states as authorities have advised 50 million people to prepare for up to two feet of snow to be dumped in some parts across the East Coast.

Winter Storm Stella is expected to sweep the New York region with extreme conditions, as experts predict the storm could bring 12 to 24 inches of wind-blasted snow from Monday to early Wednesday.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo previously announced that a state of emergency would take effect state-wide beginning at midnight on Monday evening. A snow alert was issued for Monday night into Tuesday, expecting snowfall rates of up to 2 to 4 inches per hour Tuesday morning and afternoon, with gusts of up to 50 mph.

'This would certainly be the biggest snowstorm of the 2017 winter season in New York City,' said Faye Barthold, a weather service meteorologist based on Long Island.

President Trump tweeted urging 'everyone be safe' as he met with local authorities in D.C. to discuss preparations there, where the region is experiencing a winter weather warning, alongside mid-Atlantic and Northeast cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore.

Blizzard warnings have been issues for areas in eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, southeast New York, Connecticut, northern Rhode Island, western/central Massachusetts, southeast New Hampshire and southern Maine.

Authorities are warning residents across all affected areas to prepare for the possibility of widespread power outages, road closures and flight disruptions. As of Monday evening,5,320 flights had been cancelled within, into or out of the United States.

The brunt of those cancellations took place at Chicago O'Hare International airport, where the city is anticipating its first snow of 2017, which is rare for the exceptionally cold city.

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Chicago: University of Chicago students won't be biking any time soon as inches of snow have already began to cover the campus with up to five inches expected through Monday evening

Detroit: Heaps of snow have begun to fall on Woodward Avenue on Monday and two to three inches are expected to fall in the southeast area of Michigan before midnight

Authorities are warning residents to prepare for the possibility of widespread power outages, road closures and flight disruptions. As of Monday evening,5,320 flights had been cancelled within, into or out of the United States. At the Miami International Airport, disgruntled passengers line up to attempt to rebook their cancelled flights

NASA provided a satellite image of Winter Storm Stella setting in. Clouds seen here descending on northeastern states are characteristic of two low pressure areas colliding

Blizzard warnings have been issued for many parts of the Northeast as authorities have advised 50 million people to prepare for up to two feet of snow to be dumped in some parts across the East Coast

Multiple cities including New York City to Norwich are currently under blizzard warnings (red highlighted area) due to Winter Storm Stella. Surrounding areas are under winter storm warnings (green highlighted area)

The darker blue regions depict areas where more snow is likely to fall beginning Monday night

On Tuesday a snow ice mix will hit parts of New York City to Philadelphia as the temperatures will still be chilly

Going into Tuesday night, the weather will still be cold, as many parts of the East Coast will still see a mix of snow and ice mix

Weather officials say that due to the blizzard-like conditions, visibility will be difficult Tuesday morning at the three major airports in the tri-state area. More than 5,000 flights have been canceled already for Tuesday

Store shelves are just about empty at a Manhattan Trader Joe's ahead of the fast-moving winter storm that's expected to hit the Northeast beginning on Monday night

Shelves are seen scarce with potatoes at a Trader Joe's grocery store ahead of Winter Storm Stella on Monday in New York City

Authorities have advised millions to prepare for what's expected to be the biggest storm to hit the Northeast this winter season. Above empty store shelves at a Trader Joe's in New York City on Monday

Scott Stout, an employee at Main Hardware in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, stocks bags of ice melt at the store Monday ahead of the storm

Sanitation department personnel prepare a sanitation truck with a plow and follow with wheel chains for snow removal Monday ahead of the winter storm in New York City

A snow plow passes a sign at a garden supply store along in Alexandria, Virginia on Monday ahead of Winter Storm Stella

New Yorkers began stocking up on groceries, salt and emergency supplies over the weekend through Monday as they prepared for a snow day inside. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced that all public schools in both cities will be closed Tuesday due to the storm.

Early Monday afternoon, New Jersey was added to the blizzard warning list joining New York City, according to the Weather Channel.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced preparations for the so-called Nor'easter storm, activating the state Emergency Operations Center as of Monday night while also directing state agencies to be on heightened alert.

WINTER STORM STELLA FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS Officials are warning of significant travel delays, as thousands of flights have already been cancelled ahead of Winter Storm Stella. For Monday, more than 2,170 flights have already been cancelled as of 6:30pm. In addition, more than 5,000 flights have been delayed on Monday. More than 5,100 flights had been cancelled for Tuesday as of 6.30pm Monday. More cancellations were expected, with Southwest planning to stop almost all of its Northeast flights Tuesday. Other airlines were considering similar moves. Major US airlines will allow ticketed travelers affected by the storm to change their flights without an additional fee. Source: Flight Aware Advertisement

'I encourage all New Yorkers in affected regions to plan ahead and avoid any unnecessary travel as the storm progresses,' Cuomo said in a statement, adding that commuters should expect road closures, delays and cancellations.

The New York City Subway has announced a winter weather plan for the coming days, which will adjust several services and close a number of stations.

The National Weather Service issued a blizzard watch Sunday for coastal regions including New York City and surrounding areas of Long Island, Westchester County and Connecticut.

The storm also raised the potential for power outages with damaging winds across eastern Long Island and southeastern Connecticut, the National Weather Service said.

'Significant amounts of snow are forecast that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an emergency. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,' the weather service said.

Significant disruption to air travel in the region was also anticipated with the storm. A total of 3,282 flights within, in to, or out of the United States have been cancelled thus far on Friday.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport has experienced the highest rate of cancellations at 282 on Monday, 20% of their overall flights.

Blowing snow and strong winds could lead to whiteout conditions with visibility as poor as a quarter mile, the service said.

Sub-freezing temperatures were forecast in the upper 20s Fahrenheit.

Mayor Bill de Blasio warned New Yorkers that 'besides the snow, it will be cold,' while officials recommended that people avoid driving and use mass transit when possible.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was installing hundreds of pieces of snow equipment at the three New York area airports.

Thousands of tons of salt and sand were prepared for airport roads, parking lots, bridges and tunnels.

The storm led German Chancellor Angela Merkel to postpone her trip to Washington for her first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump. Merkel had been scheduled to arrive late Monday night for meetings with Trump on Tuesday. The White House said the meeting was rescheduled for Friday.

Trump urged everyone to stay safe as he met with local officials in Washington D.C. to discuss the city's preparations for winter storm Stella

In Detroit snow has already started and a further two or three inches are expected to fall before Tuesday

Residents remained in good spirits in Detroit where snow has already fallen throughout the day. A further two to three inches is expected in the city

The snowfall forecast through Wednesday shows many areas along the East Coast receiving between 18 to 24 inches of snow during the storm

On Tuesday around 10am forecasters predict it will be about 30 degrees in New York City, as much of the East Coast region will receive a snow and ice mix

By 6pm on Tuesday, Winter Storm Stella will still be dumping snow on the Northeast with temperatures still in the high 20s and low 30s

Winter Storm Stella is also impacting the Midwest with light to moderate snowfall accumulations across a large part of that region

A winter storm watch was in effect for a larger area of the Northeast: New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New England.

HOW MUCH SNOW? New York City: 20 - 24 inches Boston: 12 - 18 inches Philadelphia: 6 - 12 inches Baltimore: 8 to 12 inches Washington D.C.: 6 - 8 inches Chicago: 3 - 6 inches Detroit: 2 to 3 inches Advertisement

As some 50 million people along the Eastern Seaboard came under storm or blizzard watches, Washington, D.C., which often bogs down with even low levels of snow, was expecting 5 inches and twice that in outlying areas.

Boston also could get 12 to 18 inches, with isolated amounts of up to 2 feet across northeastern Massachusetts.

In Philadelphia, crews began treating some area roadways on Sunday.

The city could see 6 to 12 inches of snow. The weather service said there is a chance the snow could change over to a wintry mix or rain for a time Tuesday morning, which could limit total snowfall amounts.

In Detroit, snowy scenes were already in effect on Monday. Two to three inches were expected in the city before Tuesday.

Forecasters predict that strong 40 to 60mph winds Monday night into Tuesday night will affect the North East

Snow is predicted to start falling in the D.C. region around 7pm on Monday night through the early morning on Tuesday

Blizzard conditions are predicted from Hartford, Connecticut all the way up to Bangor, Maine beginning Tuesday as forecasters say traveling may be impossible

Officials are warning millions to expect major disruptions due to the storm and have predicted airport closures from D.C. all the way to Boston from Monday to Wednesday

Winter Storm Stella has already brought snow to Chicago on Monday. Above commuters wait for the train as the snow continues falling

There's plenty of snow already in Mankato, Minnesota, as the above photo shows Jeremiah Luntsford working to dig out his car on Monday

Harsh winter weather has already hit Sioux City, Iowa, as nearly 9 inches of snow has been reported in the city as of Monday (above)

WINTER STORM TIMELINE: HERE'S WHAT TO EXPECT Forecasters predict that Tuesday's commute will be dangerous as blizzard conditions will make roads and highways impassible. With winds of up to 50mph predicted, whiteout conditions will likely be created for many commuters along the Northeast. Winter Storm Stella is expected to dump up to two feet of snow in New York City, according to National Weather Service forecasters. Below is an hour by hour timeline of what to expect for this winter storm in New York City, according to weather forecasters: TUESDAY: Beginning after midnight snow will begin to fall in the city

Temperatures will drop to around 31 degrees overnight and stay there roughly throughout the morning

National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Dispigna said around that 'the period of intense snow will probably start around 6am'

About 2 to 4 inches of snow per hour will fall along with winds gusting up to 50mph creating 'whiteout conditions'

At 10:20am, forecasters predict 2 to 3 feet of flooding in coastal areas which is around the time of high tide

In the late morning to early afternoon, snow may be interrupted with some precipitation during this period

By sundown around 7pm, the storm is expected to be roughly finished, though some snow flurries may continue through the evening into the night

Forecasters say winds will continue through the night with temperatures dropping to around 20 degrees WEDNESDAY: Forecasters say that temperatures will rise up to roughly 32 degrees as the winds will continue to blow around 20mph

Snow showers will happened occasionally throughout the day and into the afternoon THURSDAY AND FRIDAY: Forecasters say the sun should come out and temperatures will begin to rise, which will help to melt the snow

Thursday it is expected to be around 36 degrees in the day and on Friday it will be around 41 degrees Advertisement

The storm comes near the end of an unusually mild winter along much of the East Coast, with below-normal snowfalls in some areas, including New York City and Washington.

It was the warmest February on record in nearly the entire area, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center.

Last week in New York, temperatures hovered near 70 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Accuweather.com, hitting 60 or higher on six days in February.

In addition, Chicago is seeing its first snowfall since December on Monday after spending the entire months of February and January without snow - a first for the windy city in 146 years.

On Monday, officials in Philadelphia began preparing for Winter Storm Stella. Above Streets Department crews load salt on Monday in preparations for the expected storm in Philadelphia

Carol Sullivan of Boyce, Virginia chooses a new snow shovel to purchase on Monday to prepare for the winter storm

A lone runner jogs along Lake Michigan as the Chicago area gets it's first measurable snow since December on Monday

Joshua Pinckard walks along Lake Michigan on Monday in Chicago during the winter storm that will travel east within the next 24 hours

Above a commuter walks through the snow covered sidewalk as the train passes along in Chicago on Monday. The snowfall in the windy city is the first all year thanks to the winter storm that is now hitting the Midwest before making its way East

Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety officers and other rescue personnel work at the scene of a crash involving a semi trailer under the Cooper Street bridge of Interstate 94 westbound on Monday in Michigan

Thousands of flights have already been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday due to the winter storm. Above a departure board in the American Airlines terminal during the snowstorm at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Monday

U.S. airlines have canceled several thousand flights through Tuesday, March 14, 2017, as a winter storm heads toward the Northeast. The major airlines are waiving ticket-change fees that range up to $200 for customers who want to change their travel plans

During the 2015-2016 year, the windy city saw 31.2 inches of snow fall, but this year forecasters think it will fall below that.

The first measurable snow fall occurred on December 4 when roughly six inches of snow fell around the Chicago area.

Each winter, the city averages over 40 inches of snow, and preparations for the brutal weather take place months ahead before the start of the cold season.

Meanwhile, in the western United States, the weather service forecast potentially record-setting heat in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, where temperatures were expected into the 90s in some places.