The Nor'easter forced the U.S. government to close its offices on Friday as the powerful storm began to batter the East Coast.
A forecast of flooding rains and high winds reaching gusts of up to 70 miles per hour was issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), prompting the government closure.
The monster storm also shuttered several school districts in the Washington, D.C., area, according to The Hill.
The NWS issued a high wind warning for Friday night, predicting that strong winds would cause widespread damage and power outages.
“Travel is dangerous,” the weather service said, adding that motorists need to “be aware of rapidly changing road conditions” while pedestrians could face “very hazardous conditions.”
Friday could very well shape up to be the windiest day witnessed by D.C. since Superstorm Sandy swept through the region in 2012, WTOP.com noted.
“This will be a prolonged, high-impact windstorm for the region, with many downed trees and power lines expected,” the NWS said, according to The Hill.
The weather service added that winds could continue through the weekend.
“In addition to the magnitude of the high wind gusts, the duration of the winds will add to the hazardous nature of this event, as winds will continue through the weekend before diminishing below 30 mph Sunday afternoon.”
This, according to NWS, will hamper the repair of power lines and tree removal.
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