(CNN) -- Slamming the East Coast, a monster storm was expected to pummel New York and New England on Sunday after dumping record amounts of snow on the nation's capital. It left at least three people dead while disrupting holiday travel and shopping.
The National Weather Service forecast blizzard conditions with winds gusting at 60 mph and up to 18 inches of snow along the New England coast -- and issued blizzard warnings for parts of that area.
The storm, known as a nor'easter, blanketed the mid-Atlantic region and the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor.
By early Sunday, Bethesda, Maryland, had recorded a whopping 23 inches of snow, and Medford, New Jersey, saw 24 inches.
Winter storm warnings and advisories remained in effect farther south, and East Coast travelers again were warned to expect treacherous roads Sunday and face flight delays and cancellations.
Three people died in Virginia, state officials said. One person was killed late Friday in a single-car crash. Two other deaths were reported Saturday as more heavy snow fell.
Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine authorized up to 1,000 National Guardsmen to assist in response to the storm, which had dumped up to 18 inches of snow in parts of the region by Saturday evening. Virginia State Police had responded to nearly 3,000 accidents or disabled vehicles since Friday night, according to the governor's office.
Record snowfall totals were reported Saturday at Washington Dulles International and Reagan National airports -- and snow was still falling. Accumulation at Dulles reached 13 inches, breaking the old record of 10.6 inches set December, 12, 1964; 13.3 inches was reported at Reagan, where the old record was 11.5 inches set December 17, 1932.
All flights to Reagan were canceled until 10 a.m. ET Sunday and at Dulles until 6 a.m. ET.
The weather will delay the start of two National Football League games Sunday. The Chicago Bears-Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers-Philadelphia Eagles games will be played at 4:15 p.m. ET instead of 1 p.m. to allow crews to clear streets and walkways in and around stadiums.
The weekend storm could rival the Knickerbocker blizzard of 1922, which dropped between 28 and 33 inches of snow in the Washington area, said CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis.
"I don't know that it will be a record-breaker, but this is significant," Maginnis said. "This is a really bad storm."
The foul weather prompted an emergency declaration in Washington, stranded hundreds of motorists, shut down airports, caused power outages and threatened to keep hordes of holiday shoppers indoors.
Meanwhile, western North Carolina was digging out Saturday from the powerful storm. More than 50,000 were without power in Asheville's Buncombe County after more than a foot of snow fell in the mountains.
A spokeswoman for Progress Energy told CNN affiliate WLOS-TV in Asheville that crews were traveling from Kentucky and South Carolina to help restore power to customers.
In Virginia, the emergency management agency warned motorists of hazardous driving conditions.
"I strongly urge everyone to stay at home and off the roads," said Michael Cline, state coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. "There are hundreds of vehicles abandoned or stuck on roads. There is already 1 to 2 feet of snow on the roads, and snow is still falling."
Parts of U.S. 29 and I-77 and I-81 were closed, and hundreds of bus passengers were stranded at a terminal in Washington as dozens of routes were canceled up and down the East Coast.
Meanwhile, more than 400 people were hunkering down in 20 shelters across Virginia. A Virginia National Guard spokesman said it is working with other agencies to transport stranded motorists to shelters, and is getting food and water to people stuck in their vehicles.
Washington Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said the storm is "perhaps the biggest we've seen in several years."
"We are going to throw everything we have at it to keep the District open for business on this busy pre-holiday weekend," Fenty said as he announced the snow emergency.
But he also urged residents to stay put in their homes.
"We urge everyone if you don't have to go anywhere, wait. This snow should end early tomorrow morning with a 24-hour cleanup," Fenty said. "We should have a lot of streets ready to go by rush hour Monday. And, hopefully, all of it done between Monday and Wednesday."
Nine people were taken to a hospital after a bus and city snow plow collided, a Washington fire official said. The injuries are not considered serious.
The storm also halted above-ground Metrorail operations in the District because of the "heavy snowfall that is covering the electrified third rail," according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Trains were shifted to underground travel, and the underground Metrorail stations were to remain open until 3 a.m. ET Sunday, the normal closing time.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin on Saturday declared a state of emergency and "authorized the use of the National Guard to assist with snow removal and emergency assistance and operations." Manchin said West Virginia is working to help stranded motorists, clear roadways and restore power outages
Farther north, Boston, Massachusetts, Mayor Thomas Menino declared a snow emergency. Forecasters are predicting up to 15 inches of snow, with 30-mph winds between Saturday night and late Sunday morning.
Crews were standing by with snow removal equipment and salt at the ready, and the city's emergency homeless shelters will be open throughout the day and evening.
Eyewitness News will have more on the storm with Weather anchor Jennifer Stanonis.
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