Major Northeast snowstorm hits; leads to Pennsylvania, NYC car pileups, 2 deaths

The first major snowfall to hit the East Coast this season dumped several inches of snow on multiple states and led to a massive pileup in central Pennsylvania that left at least two dead, according to state police.

Authorities said somewhere between 30 and 60 cars were involved in the crash on Interstate 80 in Clinton County between Longanton and Lock Haven. Multiple people were injured.

Authorities urged people to stay home and not travel "unless it is absolutely necessary."

There was also a 20-vehicle pileup in New York City, according to city officials and FDNY sources.

At least six people have been hospitalized in connection with that crash, four with serious injuries.

The city's Emergency Management Twitter account announced the crash and that all southbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Bridge in the Bronx were closed shortly before 7 p.m.

Up to 60 million East Coast residents faced storm warnings or advistories Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Many of them spent the morning preparing for the arrival of what the Weather Channel dubbed "Winter Storm Gail," expected to spread over nearly 1,000 miles.

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Forecasters predicted a "significant" impact across most of the East Coast, from the Mid-Atlantic through New England. The highest snow totals Wdnesday evening were 9 inches in Wardensville, W. Va., and Haylfield, Va., with precipitation still falling, according to the NWS.

The Poconos in Pennsylvania and the Catskills in New York were each expected to receive nearly 2 feet of snow, according to the weather service.

Snow, sleet and freezing rain were all forecast for the region.

New York City's Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said Gail was likely to be "the biggest storm in several years."

Restaurants still open for outdoor dining in the Big Apple were asked to modify or remove their structures in preparation for blizzard-like conditions and 45 mph winds. 

In a frenzy not seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, shoppers flocked to grocery stores Tuesday.

With kids already learning at home, schools and snow days are a thing of the past in New York, though in-person schools in Virginia and Pennsylvania either closed or announced early shutdowns.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered state agencies to get ready for emergency responses, and sanitation trucks began anti-icing and salt spreading.

Across the Hudson River, Gov. Philip Murphy, D-N.J., called Gail a "real whopper." The Garden State could see up to 18 inches of snow.

Murphy urged residents to limit travel.

In Rhode Island, Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo said Tuesday that coronavirus test scheduling had been suspended for Thursday.

Farther south along the Interstate 95 corridor, the storm will carpet parts of central Pennsylvania with up to 2 feet of snow. 

"Stay home, if you can," warned Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. "When fewer people are on the road, personnel can do their jobs more safely."

Wolf also signed a proclamation of a disaster emergency, authorizing the use of resources and purchases.

The nor'easter was expected to pound the New England area and Maryland, and give northwestern Virginia up to a quarter-inch of ice, the National Weather Service reported.

Some states, like North Carolina, saw milder conditions, with a wintry mix and some coastal flooding.

As the storm system heads east, the Midwest was already seeing some precipitation, with reports of snowfall in Indianapolis.

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Tens of thousands of northern Ohioans were left without power Tuesday as the system rolled through, affecting about 50,000 homes and businesses

Numerous accidents were reported throughout the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.