A snowstorm is blanketing the US East Coast. The National Weather Service is forecasting up to 2 feet of snow for Washington over the weekend.

The weather service says between 15 and 25 inches of snow is expected early Sunday in the capital, along with cold and windy conditions. Washington's mayor declared a snow emergency Saturday morning.

Virginia is also declaring a state of emergency. Winter storm warnings were in effect from North Carolina and Tennessee in the south to southern New England in the north. The storm is expected to pass through the mid-Atlantic early Sunday.

U.S. Postal Office letter carrier Herbert Murray Jr. watches his footing carefully while delivering mail in northeast Philadelphia on Saturday, Dec. 19.