Roundup: Spring nor'easter brings heavy snow, wind to northeast U.S.

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A late-season nor'easter, the fourth of its kind in three weeks, is targeting the northeast United States on Wednesday, bringing heavy snow and strong winds to the region.

From the southern Appalachians to Boston, over 70 million people are under a winter storm watch, warning or advisory, forecasters said.

Washington, which is already snow-covered, is expected to see up to 6 inches of snow, as some models suggesting much high totals for the capital.

Federal offices are closed for the snowstorm as the White House announced early Wednesday that all public events for the day were cancelled.

Snow started Wednesday morning in New York City, with ten inches to more than a foot forecast before the storm departs early Thursday, while Boston could see 4 to 7 inches of snow.

Areas along the Interstate 95 corridor were bracing for moderate to heavy snow from northern Maryland to southern New Jersey.

With a forecast of heavy snow and wind gusts blowing up to 45 mph, blizzard conditions are possible.

New York City could see sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph Wednesday, and coastal areas such as Cape Cod in Massachusetts are predicted to receive gusts up to 60 mph through Wednesday to Thursday.

Along the coast from Virginia to Massachusetts, flooding is also a threat. Some of the worst coastal flooding could be seen along the Jersey Shore, with high tides 2 to 3 feet above normal possible.

Public schools in New York City, Philadelphia and the District of Columbia are also closed.

Some 4,000 flights are canceled across the country on Wednesday, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.

On the ground, Amtrak canceled Wednesday's Acela express service from Washington through New York to Boston and some states banned certain types of trucks from major highways.

"Travel will be very difficult to impossible, especially during the evening commute" on Wednesday in cities like New York, Philadelphia and New Haven, where snow accumulations of more than a foot were predicted, the National Weather Service said.

Regional utilities reported only a few thousands without power across the sprawling northeastern region Tuesday night. But widespread power outages are possible as the storm intensifies.

The new system extends a streak of late-season nor'easter that have hammered the East Coast this month.

The first nor'easter of the month, on March 2, halted flights and created chaos for commuters, followed by a second nor'easter, on March 7, that left thousands of users without power and up to 2 feet of snow on the ground.

The third, on March 12, bashed parts of the Northeast and New England. Enditem