shore. >> but we begin with our team of first alert meteorologists. glenn "hurricane" schwartz is break down the timing, sheena has expected totals. let's start with you, glenn. >> 24 hours from now the first flakes will be flying in delaware and that will be the beginning of the storm. first alert out for friday night, into early sunday morning. and a blizzard watch is in effect for parts of the area and many parts of the area are going to get ten inches or more of snow. those things don't happen often and a chance of major coastal flooding in parts of the area. in order to get a blizzard, not only need the heavy snow, you need winds of over 35 miles an hour and low visibilities, both for at least three straight hours. so that's kind of a hard thing to get in this part of the country. the blizzard watch includes the philadelphia i-95 corridor, northern half of delaware, and all of south jersey except for cape may county. still a winter storm watch north

and west and in extreme southern parts of our area, too. they are going to be getting significant winter storm. the moisture is building up like crazy down south. the timeline from 8:00 friday into early saturday morning, the snow spreads south to north from delaware and then 4:00 a.m. to noon, that's when the heaviest snow is expected and the wind will increase. may have some mixing toward the shore, but also possible blizzard conditions before it tapers off later saturday night and into sunday morning. nbc 10 meteorologist sheena parveen is here now with a look at the expected totals. sheena? >> that's right. some areas will see quite a bit of snow and we're even talking about heavy wet snow in some spots, along with strong winds like glenn showed you, blizzard like conditions, so we could be looking at power outages. take a look at the snowfall forecast for the area saturday night, into -- friday night, into saturday morning, through

saturday night and some of this could be lingering into early sunday morning, too, but a majority occurring overnight and early saturday. 14 to 18 inches in some of the higher amounts in chester county, northern delaware for new castle county, 10 to 14 around the philadelphia area, extending to parts of trenton, interior new jersey, parts of kent county. closer to the lehigh valley, six to ten inches. we'll have a cutoff line with the snow here so the poconos could get the least amount of snow, maybe two to six inches here, but the six to ten extends also into new jersey and delaware, less closer to the shore where we could see some mixing. so the major interstates here especially as you get closer to delaware, the i-95 corridor expecting to get the brunt of this storm approaching the philadelphia area, but especially chester county, this is where we expect high totals, again, combining with wind and wet snow at times, heavy snow, again, we could be looking at the potential for power outages in these areas. visibility very low as we go

into your saturday. but this will all start late friday night. coming up, glenn shows you a closer look at the timing and neighborhood snow totals. that's straight ahead. >> all right, sheena. crews are getting ready for the roads tonight. look at this army of trucks brining the roosevelt boulevard in olney today. the solution is designed to prevent freezing. lauren mayk was there when philadelphia's new mayor spoke about the approaching storm. >> she joins us now live. this is a first for the kenney administration. are they being specific about what they are doing to prepare for this? >> reporter: right now they are preparing for a full deployment of 400 plows and about 600 people to get out there and deal with the snow when it comes. at this point, they are leaning toward issuing a snow emergency but they have not done that. that will affect where you can park on the streets in the city. they are preparing for the possibility of more than a foot of snow, and i asked the mayor specifically about philadelphia's smaller streets.

>> we're going to get to the small streets as we have in the past. we have smaller vehicles with smaller plows capable of doing that. i lived on a small street for, god, almost 40 years, i know what it's like and how frustrating it can be. i will tell you life is easier if you make your three-foot path and pile your snow at the curb and don't try to throw it into the street. >> reporter: the mayor also addressed what aels he'd like to see from residents. >> when i ask philadelphians to be safe and look out for each other, try to help your neighbors. when the storm is over, clear the steps, check on seniors and people shut in. let's work together as neighbors and citizens together to make sure we're safe and get out of this as soon as possible. >> reporter: and will require more patience from residents, especially those who regularly have trash picked up on fridays. you're going to have to hold on to that for another week. live in center city, lauren

mayk, nbc 10 news. >> all right, lauren. pennsylvania's governor tom wolf declared a state of emergency earlier today. >> the decision came a few hours after a blizzard watch was issued for much of our region. >> i'm urging all pennsylvanians to pay close attention to the weather forecast and to take steps to be ready for what might be the first big snowstorm of 2016. >> nbc 10 was at philadelphia international airport today as it gears up for the storm. the airport tells us there will be a crew of more than 450 clearing snow and ice here. a heads-up for saturday, american airlines has already cancelled all of its flights here in philadelphia. take a live look at the scene in cape may tonight, coastal flooding will be a major concern and we want to bring glenn back in now for a closer look at that part of the storm and those concerns. glenn? >> combination of the wind direction and also the fact we have a full moon this weekend, so even without the storm the tides would be higher than

average. wind is blowing offshore now so we don't have issues with high tides, but as we go into tomorrow evening, the wind is going to be coming from the northeast, that's why it's called a nor'easter, and the faster these arrows move, the stronger the wind. and boy does it get strong on saturday morning. we're talking 50 to 60 mile an hour winds coming right onshore. and that's going to cause significant flooding. we need to get the wind blowing back offshore to prevent a third major high tide. this is what happens, the areas in light green the most vulnerable to flooding here. three high tide, each one may be higher than the last, and it's the one on sunday that would be the highest, and the one that we need the wind to be blowing offshore to prevent it from being really, really bad. you can see some more of those green areas right up the jersey shore, in through the atlantic city area and there's those high tides saturday night and sunday

morning. back with more specifics on who's going to get what as far as the snow coming up in a few minutes. and plenty of eyes will be on the coast this weekend. we have an aerial look at things today in sea bright as they brace for the storm. nbc 10 jersey shore bureau reporter ted greenberg joins us live from ocean city. >> busy day there as people brace for what could be some of the worst flooding since sandy. >> reporter: yeah, and that's why, jim and jackie, officials here at the shore tonight are urging people to get ready for the worrisome high tides that glenn was just talking about. we found a lot of people aren't waiting to prepare. an extra layer of protection being built on ocean city's beaches. makeshift dunes designed to help hold back the water once the nor'easter moves in. >> better safe than sorry. >> reporter: brendan mcbride is building this house on yacht avenue in cape may and today

moved his tools and materials to the second floor to keep them away from high water. >> everything that was of any value, we're worried about the flooding coming. >> reporter: moderate to major coastal flooding, potentially the worst since hurricane sandy that could last for three high tide cycles starting saturday morning, along with high winds capable of knocking out power. >> i have a wood stove, plenty of firewood. i'm good to go. >> reporter: at the popular lobster house restaurant and fish market just outside cape may in a flood prone section of lower township, valuable equipment has to come off the floor before the water starts to rise. >> i look forward to seeing it? yes, just because we all like seeing nature. at its fury. >> reporter: and some officials tell us one of the biggest challenges they expect to face is that back bay flooding on top of the snow that's also expected to fall here along the coast. live in ocean city, i'm ted

greenberg, nbc 10 news. grocery store in trenton says it's going to stay open during the storm but that's not stopping shoppers from getting ready now. the food bizarre will keep regular hours with as many employees who can make it into work. food bizarre said it overstocked on everything, because it knows it's a lifeline for that community. our coverage continues now in delaware. delaware bureau reporter tim furlong found out how the first state is getting set. >> reporter: makes a mean meatball, a hot spot for folks looking for italian, but this particular saturday? that's italian for getting punched in the gut. this snowstorm is not playing nice with his schedule. he's going to take a hit on saturday. >> saturday is one of my busiest days of the week. sunday would have been perfect, because we're closed on sunday and monday. >> reporter: all those folks who might have eaten there saturday, i think i found many stocking up on groceries they'll need for the next couple of days.

>> i'm buying bread and milk for me, orange juice for my children. >> reporter: store is jamming, you know the drill, rock salt, milk, eggs, and the employees and delivery guys can't restock the bread shelves fast enough either. >> everybody wants to get a loaf or two, sometimes three. they think they are going to be snowed in for a couple weeks. >> reporter: deldot is brining the roads to make sure they aren't trapped longer than they need to be, ready for whatever mother nature dumps on delaware. >> good for fuel and equipment, now it's just waiting for the event to really start to happen. >> reporter: we at nbc 10 are also prepared for the storm. we'll have crews all over the region and in delaware christen our new vehicle, news force 10, this is a beast, made for weather conditions like the ones we're going to see. there are cameras inside, cameras outside, we're going to give you plenty of live looks at the road conditions from the comfort and most importantly from the safety of your own home. in newark, delaware, tim furlong, nbc 10 news. and while you're preparing

your home and family for the snow, keep in mind the nbc 10 app is a prime tool. you can get the latest forecasts, hour by hour live radar, blogs from our meteorologists, access to sky cam network, weather alerts and notifications about closures and delays. our coverage continues next with harry hairston live in chester county. >> that's right, i'm out here live in chester county and we're going to show you where you need to go to find what you're going to need to weather the storm. glenn? >> yeah, and i'll have updated snow totals, plus how much is going to pile up near you and when. complete first alert forecast is coming up next on nbc 10 news at 6:00.

live look here at philadelphia's 30th street station. amtrak will be on a modified schedule tomorrow, that means fewer trains, so prepare accordingly. our coverage continues now in chester county. >> harry hairston spent the day there. harry, a lot of items already in short supply. a lot of people have been shopping. >> reporter: definitely. flashlights and shovels are flying off the shelves at stores here in chester county with brisk businesses, people are in anticipation of that winter storm. >> things got started two days

ago. it's been kind of crazy people right away responded to the weather reports. >> reporter: her hardware store is one of the go to places for storm prep needs. claire tells us they have plenty of shovels and salt, with more salt coming tomorrow. she says so far generator sales are slow. >> people hold off on the bigger scale items. >> reporter: neil, who operates a plow, knows it's important to stock up on batteries. >> i got six packs here, but i'll leave a couple at home, too. >> reporter: also tonight customers are raiding the nearby home depot. >> got a lot of customers coming in looking for snow shovels and salt, snow thrower, so we'll be busy all day long. >> reporter: okay, now some of the folks have been telling me what's also important, this, this is a flare, because some people just might have to be on the road and should your car get stalled, you might want to have

flares to put behind your vehicle to make sure if the snow is still coming down, people can see you for safety. reporting live in chester county, harry hairston, nbc 10 news. >> it's amazing how many of our big snowstorms occur on the weekend and here we go again. this time there's a blizzard watch in effect for at least parts of the area, many areas with ten inches or more. that's a big storm for this area, and at least a chance of some major coastal flooding. a lot of this occurred during the day saturday. stay home saturday, saturday night, go out and play in it on sunday. we have the blizzard watch in the areas of lavender, delaware, all of south jersey, except cape may county, philadelphia corridor, looks like a snowman here, this is two pieces of the storm and the amount of it increase of moisture in the

south is just amazing over the last 12 hours. then here comes as it moves into the cold air, it's all snow, all starting to snow tomorrow, but it's not starting until later in the evening. not during the afternoon rush. up till then, but friday night plans, especially late friday night plans, got a problem, because here's the snow. it could come down pretty hard within a couple of hours of when it starts. and by saturday morning, it is snowing hard over the entire area. we continue to see snow just about all day. could be a bit of a break towards the shore at times, but that is a continuous snowfall until early sunday morning. that is a long period of snow. so some mixing down the shore could limit amounts. northern extent of the storm will limit it in the poconos, and the heaviest amounts, the closer you get to baltimore and

washington, 10 to 14 in philadelphia. delaware, you're going to get all snow in northern delaware, some of the heaviest amounts, 6:00 a.m. to noon, and the strongest winds, of course, will be occurring farther to the south. in philadelphia itself, 10 to 14 inches, heaviest snow 3:00 a.m. to noon. you want to watch out for blowing snow, low visibility. could even be thunder snow with this storm, and one of the places that could happen is in salem and gloucester counties. we're going to get some of the biggest snow totals. ten to 14 in much of burlington county. change to rain would limit the snow totals a bit. if that happens, heaviest snow 4:00 a.m. to noon. then as we go into the shore, less snow as you get into extreme southern delaware, but it should start and end as snow. power outages are most likely here because the character of the snow is going to be close to freezing. it's going to be heavy, wet

stuff, and the farther inland you are in atlantic county, better chance you have of some of those power outages. then also snow expected in delaware county, chester county, more snow as you get closer to the philadelphia area. that doesn't happen too often, and some places could get more than 18 inches of snow. the forecast for tonight is going to be clear and cold, tomorrow we have the clouds increase and the snow at night. snowing pretty much all day saturday, and then sunday is just windy and cold. then we get to dry out and warm up a bit, melting at least some of the snow next week. here's a reminder for you, follow our nbc 10 meteorologists on twitter for changes in this forecast. our coverage continues now, though, with nbc 10's deanna durante live in montgomery county, deanna? >> reporter: we'll take you out on the roads to see what's being done to try to keep them clear through the storm.

the republicans in harrisburg were fighting each other over the state budget. that's right. each other. the republican state senate passed a responsible budget that "begins" to fund education but the republican house of representatives has insisted on a budget that fails to fund education and balloons the deficit. call your legislator, tell them to pass a budget that's right for pennsylvania.

you're watching nbc 10 first alert winter weather coverage. >> cars off the road, closer we can get to the curb, the better off and longer it's going to be for everybody. >> nbc 10's deanna durante riding shotgun as winter crews got the roads ready in montgomery county county and deanna is joining us live in center square. >> reporter: in the interest of full disclosure, it was our photographer who was in the front seat there, it was only a two seater brining truck there, so i got to be on the sidelines. i can tell you these crews have been out for days already

brining the roads here and surrounding municipalities and are asking if you want to make it easy on them, do them a couple of favors. >> transport heavy equipment. >> reporter: he says if someone calls for it, he won't have any choice but to bring it. >> no saying no. >> reporter: going to be on the road at least once during the storm. >> if something has to go, it will go out. >> reporter: if you don't know if they are going to be icy or snowy? >> pray for penndot to do a good job and take your time. say a couple prayers and go. >> reporter: one of the folks working alongside him, steve. >> i think it's the not knowing part. that's the perfect analogy to say we don't know what mother nature is going to give us. try to get them on shift work so we always have rested men. we always try to keep our main roads open all the time so that the emergency personnel can get in and out if there's something they need to do. >> reporter: the crew has been working for days brining and

filling salt trucks and tucking them away to keep them warm. it's expected crews will hit the roads while you're heading to bed friday night. >> definitely make our job a lot easier if everyone would just stay home, maybe light a nice fire, enjoy your children, and let us do your job. >> reporter: a couple requests from people behind the wheel, if you see a plow truck, don't try and pass them, stay behind them. also many townships in montgomery county already issuing snow emergencies, including upper merion and abington township, which means you have to remove your cars from the streets. reporting live, deanna durante, nbc 10 news. and if you lose power during the winter storm, nbc 10 and our parent company comcast can help. plug-in and power-up stations will be set up for you to add some juice to your cell phones and tablets. that service is free. and check the nbc 10 app and nbc10.com for a list of locations. you're watching nbc 10 first

alert winter weather coverage.

all eyes on you, glenn. >> heaviest of the snow is going to occur by washington. the closer you are to washington, d.c., more snow you're going to get. finger of heavy snow coming towards wilmington and eventually philadelphia, ten to four inches in philly, more in northern delaware, so that is a lot of snow. and you can see that we've seen in the suburbs heaviest snow coming in as the fluffy type up towards the lehigh valley and then farther to the south, you get more snow. so the closer you are to philly, more snow you get. farther north you go, less snow you get. kind of opposite what the normal type of storm does, but a slight shift can make a big difference. sheena will keep updates on that. we have a facebook chat coming up at 7:00. >> all right, glenn, thank you. for all of us here at nbc 10,

i'm jim rosenfield. >> the news continues with "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. see you back here at 11:00 tonight. states of emergency tonight. a blockbuster blizzard set to unleash its fury on 88 million people. snow and a wild mix of ice and tornados, a winter weather nightmare is here. on the attack. 11 days to iowa. hillary clinton unloads on bernie sanders. a moment of panic for the gop establishme facing the proposition of trump or cruz, which one? they're getting behind. sounding the alarm. an embattled governor asked to appear before congress as e-mails reveal a trail of dis missed warnings to stop the water crisis that poisoned an american city. a new twist in a deadly spy thriller. a former russian agent killed by poison in his tea.