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Millions of Americans in the Midwest and Northeast braced for severe winter blasts this weekend, as Californians dried out from their first major storms of the year.

Between 3 and 6 inches of snow was expected to fall on cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Cleveland as early as Friday night and continue through Saturday, meteorologists said.

Temperatures across the Midwest are not expected to get much warmer than freezing on Saturday before dipping into the teens on Sunday.

Northeast cities like New York and Boston were in line to receive several inches of snow on Saturday and Sunday, with freezing cold temperatures slated for Monday, according to forecasts.

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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told his constituents to stay indoors as much as possible this weekend so city workers could do their work.

"Conditions can get really difficult and we know we've seen this in other storms — the sanitation department can do extraordinary things if there's not traffic blocking them so their work is going to begin as soon as snow accumulates," the mayor said Friday.

"Let's get out of their way to help them do their work."

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency to go into effect noon Saturday. He instituted a restriction on commercial travel on roads north of I-195 other than the New Jersey Turnpike.

"The bigger culprit for this storm, we believe, will be the potential for ice and freezing rain, and the expected severe drop in temperatures on the back end as this system moves away later Sunday," he said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf also declared a state of emergency, ordering all commercial vehicles off most interstates between noon Saturday and noon Sunday.

"If you don't have to travel, please, please don't," Wolf said.

Even if the storm lets up on Monday, the high temperatures New York, Boston and Philadelphia are not expected to get above the teens meaning that roads will remain covered in snow or ice.