Photos: Winter Storm Nemo blasts through East Coast

(This image released by NASA from NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite captured at 9:01 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 shows a massive winter storm coming together as two low pressure systems merge over the northeast U.S. Snow began falling across the Northeast on Friday, ushering in what was predicted to be a huge, possibly historic blizzard and sending residents scurrying to stock up on food and gas up their cars. (AP Photo/NASA))

The governors of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York all declared state of emergencies on Friday as snow dumped on the Northeast, and gusting winds swept through the region. Millions of residents from New York to Massachusetts stocked up on goods and gas and were told to get off the roads due to the intensified storm, where the worst would hit in the late hours of Friday evening to Saturday morning.

Before the snow even hit the ground preparations were being made. More than 5,368 flights in the United States have been canceled this week because of the blizzard, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Amtrak suspended services from New York to Boston, Boston closed its “T” system, and the armageddon of snow plows along the east coast prepared to deploy to salt the roadways in anticipation for what was to come.

By mid-afternoon Friday finding the storm wasn’t a problem. Snow was beginning to fall in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and parts of Connecticut creating accidents and power outages. Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts ordered that all non-essential vehicles be off the road by 4 p.m. Connecticut’s Gov. Dannel Malloy did the same.

By Friday evening even New York City was feeling the effects of the Nor’easter. Mayor Michael Bloomberg encouraged residents to stay home and if they had to venture out to use public transportation, not to drive since the storm can create limited visibility.

Preparing on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. A major winter storm headed toward the U.S. Northeast on Thursday, with up to 2 feet of snow expected for a Boston-anchored region that has seen mostly bare ground this winter, the National Weather Service