EAST COAST - The East Coast woke up to winter at its strongest this morning, with 30 million people under either blizzard watches or warnings.

With some areas seeing anywhere from 24 to 30 inches of snow, this blizzard is not being taken lightly, according to Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

“It has life and death implications, and [people] should treat it that way,” Bowser cautioned D.C. locals, according to a CNN report. “People should hunker down, shelter in place and stay off the roads.”

Some of the areas affected include:

• Washington D.C.
• Virginia
• Maryland
• Tennessee
• Delaware
• New Jersey
• New York
• Georgia
• Florida
• The Carolinas

Advance Customs Brokers & Consulting LLC announced that it is currently monitoring the blizzard, and currently expects it to impact cargo in major cities into Monday, Jan. 25th.

“Heavy snow is expected to fall across fifteen states with blizzard-like conditions over New York State for the next three days,” the company said in a press release. “The storm is likely to impact and cause delays in the ability to dispatch, deliver and pick-up cargo on Monday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Newark, New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York.”

Airlines have also canceled more than 5,300 flights Friday and Saturday, according to CNN, as well as power outages for thousands.

"There's more to this storm than just the snow and ice that we're predicting," CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, commented, with fellow CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers calling it a “direct hit.”

Currently the heaviest hits are anticipated this afternoon, eastern time, with snowfall going into tomorrow, Jan. 22nd. AndNowUKnow will continue to monitor the situation as more details develop.