Washington, D.C. Poised To Get The Worst Of Jonas

It's that time of year again East Coasters — winter is coming. After a historically warm Christmas, nature is striking back this weekend with a full-on blizzard, and Washington, D.C. is going to get hit particularly hard. How much is it going to snow in D.C., you ask, filled with dread? Probably around 2 feet.

Winter Storm Jonas is forecast to affect the D.C. area worst when it blows through the East Coast starting Friday afternoon, dropping up to 24 inches on the city, and even more in isolated areas nearby. D.C. is already under a blizzard warning from the National Weather Service and Mayor Muriel Bowser preemptively announced a state of emergency during a press conference on Thursday. "We’re preparing for a blizzard. I've lived in D.C. for almost my entire life, and I don’t know that I’ve lived through a forecast like this. It is an extremely large storm," Bowser said. D.C. area schools, including Sidwell Friends School where Sasha and Malia Obama go, have been closed to keep people off the roads as much as possible.

Here's the real kicker — along with the giant blizzard, widespread power outages are likely to affect the D.C. area as well. According to The Weather Channel, the weight of the anticipated 2 feet of snow will be more than the power lines can handle, and service is likely to be impacted in large sections of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and North Carolina. If you live anywhere between Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and Charlotte, North Carolina, stock up on candles and batteries while you still can.

Of course, these forecasts are essentially worst case predictions — Winter Storm Juno was predicted to be the storm of the century in 2015, and many cities saw barely more than a sprinkling of snow. But it's better to be safe than sorry, and keeping people hyper-vigilant and over-prepared is better than getting caught off guard. Check out this useful guide to stock up on any winter storm essentials to prepare. If you've managed to retain a good sense of humor about the winter weather, or you live somewhere else and are laughing at East Coasters from your warm, dry home state, you can commiserate or celebrate with these hilarious Winter Storm Jonas memes that are already accumulating on the Internet.

Everyone knows blizzards suck, but if you get snowed in, this weekend might be a good chance to catch up on sleep, curl up with a good book, or finally binge Making a Murderer if you haven't gotten the chance yet. To everyone in the D.C. area, stay warm and stay safe!