CNN)—Up to 85 million people are in the path of a worsening winter storm that’s iced up much of the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic Read More

CNN)—Up to 85 million people are in the path of a worsening winter storm that’s iced up much of the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic.

Snow is coming down, but when the storm goes into the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning, it will supercharge, CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said.

“The fuse was just lit,” Myers said. Once it gets to the jet stream, “that’s when the firecracker goes off.”

Here are the latest developments as of 5:32 a.m. ET:

— 4,569 flights were canceled Saturda

— Motorists have been stuck for up to 12 hours on a 14-mile stretch of Interstate 75 in Kentucky, authorities said.

— Two people died Friday night in traffic accidents linked to inclement weather in North Carolina, said spokeswoman Olivia James of the State Emergency Response Team.

— Philadelphia has issued a code blue for overnight Friday into Saturday. This means anyone who spots homeless people out in the cold should call the police, who will take them to a shelter.

— 10 states have all declared states of emergency due to the storm as of Friday. They are: Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. Washington has declared a “snow emergency.”

By the numbers:

•Eight people are dead nationwide.
•Six fatalities were in North Carolina, one in Virginia and one in Kentucky.
•160,000 customers are without power because of the storm, according to various energy companies.
•9,290 flights were canceled from Friday through Sunday, according to FlightAware.com.
•989 traffic crashes and 793 disabled vehicles responded to by Virginia State Police as of late Friday night.
•18-40 inches. That’s how much snow some areas areas could receive, according to meteorologists.
•55 mph wind gusts possible in Norfolk, Virginia.
•1/10th of a mile visibility in Baltimore on Saturday morning due to heavy snow.

It’s just coming down

In the unrelenting snow, Dani Garner sat stuck in her minivan for eight hours on an interstate in Kentucky. Lines of stranded cars and trucks snaked ahead and behind her. Her husband, their three children ages 2, 3 and 14 and her mother-in-law were in the car.

“We’ve got no food or water,” she told CNN. Luckily, Garner and her family had gas in their tank and could run the heater. “Honestly, if my van wasn’t heated up I’d probably be boxed in with ice right now.”

A 14-mile stretch of Interstate 75 had frozen over, Kentucky State Police said. Police could not say how many people were stranded, but images on social media showed a highway resembling a long parking lot.

“It’s truck after truck after truck and cars sliding off the roadway,” said Kentucky State Police Capt. David Jude. “We’re going car to car now to get people off the road.”

Among those trapped is Caitlin Centner, a reporter for CNN affiliate WKYT.

She’s been on the highway since 5:30 p.m. Friday and had “not moved a single inch since” when she spoke to CNN early Saturday morning.

Centner said she can see more than 100 cars for about a half-mile ahead of her. People nearby are running out of gas, and many have been without food and water for a long time.
While stuck, she met people traveling from Detroit to Georgia for a funeral they probably won’t make.

Washington’s 10 biggest blizzards

A snow plow driver in Fairfax, Virginia, told CNN that the storm is “starting to get worse. It’s pretty thick. This is an all new experience for us.”

“Past winters was much easier, much easier,” he said.
Forecast: What’s the outlook?

Snow. Lots and lots of snow.

From midnight until noon Saturday, the forecast shows snowfall rates could potentially reach 10 inches every six hours, according to Chris Geldart of the District of Columbia’s emergency management agency.

The snow arrived in Washington in the afternoon and quickly intensified, with 2½ feet possible by the time the last flakes fall Saturday night, the mayor said.

The storm could be the largest in Washington’s history, and will probably rank in the top 5 in terms of snowfall accumulation.

Baltimore may get 19-29 inches between Friday and Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service. The agency tweeted that worst of the storm will run from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.