WASHINGTON, Rabi'II 12, 1437, Jan 22, 2016, SPA -- A blizzard dumped snow in Virginia, Tennessee, and other parts of the U.S. South Friday as millions of people in the storm’s path prepared for icy roads, possible power outages, and other treacherous conditions. According to the National Weather Service, more than 60 centimeters of snow could fall in Washington, more than 31 centimeters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 20 centimeters in New York City. As food and supplies vanished from store shelves, five states and the District of Columbia declared states of emergency ahead of the storm. Schools and government offices closed pre-emptively. Thousands of flights were cancelled. College basketball games and concerts were postponed. The snowfall, expected to continue into Sunday, easily could cause more than $1 billion in damage and paralyze the eastern third of the United States, the weather service said. The service said that all the ingredients have come together to create a blizzard with high winds, dangerous inland flooding, white-out conditions, and even the possibility of thunder snow. The federal government will close midday Friday and the Washington subway system will shut down for the entire weekend. --SPA 19:58 LOCAL TIME 16:58 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w