Thousands of flights canceled as Eastern US braces for winter storm

Thousands of flights in the United States were canceled Saturday as parts of the East Coast braced for a shellacking by a powerful winter storm packing heavy snow and high winds.

Places in the North East, including New York and Boston, were expected to bear the brunt of the far-reaching system, which is also predicted to pummel the Mid-Atlantic. 

Salt machines and snowplows were at the ready in New York, where Mayor Eric Adams tweeted that a foot (30 centimeters) of snow was predicted, but warned that "Mother Nature has a tendency to do what she wants." 

Some 3,400 flights were already canceled for Saturday traveling within, into or out of the United States, according to flight tracker FlightAware.