The Latest: Maryland governor declares state of emergency

Philly police use Drake parody to ward off parking battles

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest on the heavy snowfall expected to hit the Washington area and the Northeast. (all times local) 12:20 p.m. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has declared a state of emergency in advance of a major snowstorm in the forecast for this weekend. Hogan declared the state of emergency on Thursday. The declaration won't go into effect until 7 a.m. Friday. Heavy snowfall is forecast to arrive by the weekend from Appalachia to Philadelphia and maybe farther north. Governors in North Carolina and Virginia and the mayor of the District of Columbia have also declared emergencies. ___ 11:40 a.m. The North Carolina Highway Patrol says two people have died in weather-related crashes. It was at least the third death from a severe winter storm rolling across the eastern part of the U.S. Sgt. Joshua Church said that a 60-year-old woman was driving her car in Stokes County near her home around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday when she hit an "extremely icy" patch while driving down a hill. Church said Mary Williams lost control of her car, went down an embankment and turned over in a creek. In neighboring Forsyth County, Trooper B.M. Bush wrote in a preliminary report that Rosa McCollough-Leake was driving her car near Walkertown around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday when she died in an accident. The 55-year-old slid on an icy roadway, crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a pickup truck head-on. McCollough-Leake was killed, while her passenger and two people in the pickup had minor injuries. (Corrects that the deaths were at least the second and third blamed on the storm, not the first.) ___ 11:20 a.m. Many people in the Washington region were so focused on this weekend's big snowstorm that when an inch of snow fell Wednesday night, the city was caught off guard. The untreated roads led to messy, hours-long commutes. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser took the unusual step of apologizing for her administration's response to the minor storm. She said crews should have been out earlier with more resources. Arlington County officials said the region "underestimated" the storm and it was a "scary and frustrating night" for residents. The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory that warned of an inch of snow during the evening rush. The blizzard expected Friday could dump as much as 2 feet of snow on parts of the region. ___ 9:10 a.m. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has issued a state of emergency ahead of an upcoming winter storm that threatens to bring heavy snowfall to the Washington area and the Northeast. Thursday's declaration authorizes state agencies to assist local governments in response to the storm, which is expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow in parts of the state and bring strong winds. McAuliffe says in a statement that residents should "take the threat of this storm seriously." He says that includes travel disruptions and possible power outages. He says transportation crews are treating roads before the storm hits. Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne is urging residents to stay off roads until the storm passes. ___ 7:15 a.m. A light snowfall during evening rush hour that was more intense than expected led to icy gridlock throughout the Washington area with backups that lasted through the night in some areas. Treated roads are clear Thursday morning, but some elevated roads, ramps and side streets are icy with drivers inching along. Maryland Department of Transportation spokesman Charlie Gischlar says crews got stuck in lengthy backups Wednesday night, slowing their progress. He says major delays continued through the night on the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County, but crews are making progress Thursday morning. Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer McCord says in northern Virginia minor accidents built to gridlock and ramp closures continued through the night. She described, "a long night for a lot of people trying to get home." Heavy snowfall is predicted by the weekend from the Appalachians to Philadelphia and maybe farther north. ___ 7:15 a.m. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard watch for New York's Long Island starting Saturday morning as the Washington area and the Northeast brace for heavy snowfall. The Weather Service said Thursday morning that nor'easter-like conditions are expected to hit Long Island, New York City and parts of New Jersey, starting Saturday morning. The watch means there's potential for 8 to 12 inches of snow, northeast winds 25 to 35 mph and temperatures in the lower 30s. ___ 4:20 a.m. With heavy snowfall predicted by the weekend from the Appalachians to Philadelphia, people throughout the region readied themselves for blocked roads, power outages and canceled flights. The National Weather Service said Wednesday that 12 to 16 inches of snow could come down between Friday night and Sunday morning around the Interstate 95 corridor. As much as a foot of snow is possible for Philadelphia's northern suburbs. Mitchell Gaines of the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said people should be prepared for strong winds, heavy, wet snow and power outages. The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center warns of heavy, "perhaps crippling" snow across the northern mid-Atlantic region, including Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia, probably beginning Friday.