In the United States, snow began blanketing northeastern States today as a winter storm packing blizzard conditions rolled into the region. The storm is expected to dump 1 to 2 feet of snow on the New York City metro area with wind gusts of up to 55 mph. The National Weather Service has issued blizzard warnings for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. <br/><br/>Authorities said, the schools are closed in New York, Providence, Rhode Island and in some towns across Massachusetts and Connecticut. According to the tracking service, FlightAware, 6500 flights were cancelled with airports in New York, Washington, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia worst hit. The north-eastern US states of New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency and asked to limit unnecessary travel. <br/><br/>The conditions caused German Chancellor Angela Merkel to postpone a trip to Washington to meet President Trump. Mrs Merkel's visit was planned for today and has been rescheduled for Friday. The winter storm follows a spell of unusually mild weather in the north-eastern US, with last month being the second warmest February since record-keeping began in 1895.