How officials, crews prepare for winter storm

Airlines started announcing expected delays and cancellations yesterday in preparation. Just today, before much of the storm has even started, more than 3,000 flights in, out, or within the US have been delayed, and more than 500 have been cancelled. That's according to the tracker FlightAware. We begin tonight with CBS News correspondent Nicole Valdes in Nashville, Tennessee, where the National Weather Service is projecting 3 to 7 inches of snow. Nicole, what are officials there doing to prepare? Hey, good evening, Lindsey. There are really a lot of people here who have been spending the last few days doing everything they can to be ready for this winter storm. Unfortunately, the forecast has changed every day this week. So there was initially a conversation about this could be a snow event. Now it seems more likely this could be a lot more ice than snow for Music City, which leaders here know could cripple this area. If these roads start to ice over, it will be nearly impossible for anybody to get around. That includes those emergency responders who may need to reach people if they need help during this deep freeze here. So what we watched today was actually a briefing with state leaders at their emergency command center where they gathered members of the local transportation department, even the power authorities here to all sort of really discuss what they've got ready. That means staffing. That means resources. That means trucks. And we heard of the hundreds of snowplows that are ready to go, the several tons-- several thousand tons of salt and brine that have already been put down on some of the roads here to try to help pretreat them, maybe make a dent in how much of that ice and snow buildup we see over the next few days. But it's also going to be really focused on communication. So all of them are trying to share information, make sure that they have an idea of where their first responders are, where their troopers are, trying to make it as safe as possible. But the biggest message, Lindsey, that we heard over and over again was please don't leave your home if you don't absolutely have to. Driving on these roads is not going to be safe at some point over the next few days. And all that ice and that snow, it's expected to essentially stick around for the next few days while we're dealing with then subzero temperatures after that storm moves through. And I have to be quick with you, but I've been seeing all these social-media videos of people stocking up on supplies here in New York and in DC. Is that happening there too? Oh, you can bet it is. This is a part of the South that does not usually see winter weather like this, so this is being taken extremely seriously. And unfortunately for the South-- it was very evident when we talked to these leaders today. They said, look, we just aren't equipped to deal with a snowstorm or an ice storm like this because we just don't get it that often. You talk about a city like Nashville. They've only got about 40 to 45 snowplows compared to New York City, where they've got several thousand of them. So that's a key indicator here as to why they're taking this so seriously, doing everything they can and in their power to protect and prepare for what's ahead.

Bread and soup. People stocking up. I love it. Nicole Valdes, thank you. Parts of Pennsylvania could also see more than a foot of snow this weekend. Meghan Schiller from CBS Pittsburgh has more on the city's preps. We are gearing up for a lot of snow here in Pittsburgh, and it is officially prep time. Now that the groceries are bought and the salt is down, local officials say it is time for people to bring their cars in and off the streets. In many of the neighborhoods, they already have the no-parking signs up, usually for overnight. But now they're saying no parking on the streets in many of these areas from Saturday all the way through Tuesday. Another big thing they want people to know, when it comes to shoveling their driveways or their sidewalks, they're worried about people pushing the snow out into the street, that getting in the way of the plow. So depending on where you live in and around Pittsburgh, they're even going to put some fines if they catch people doing this. Overall, though, they say they want you to just charge your phones, grab some snacks, and hang tight. Stay inside unless you absolutely have somewhere you need to be to allow first responders and emergency crews the room to work and to get the roadways clear. Back to you.

Meghan Schiller, thank you. For more on the forecast and the storm's track, CBS News New York Chief Weathercaster Lonnie Quinn is joining me now. Lonnie, you just said this is your Super Bowl. So what can we expect? Well, you know what? Just look at this picture behind me. I've been doing this here in New York City for almost 20 years, about 19 this February. I've been doing the profession for 35 years. I've never seen a picture like this. Lindsey, what I'm looking at there, everything shaded in pink is a winter weather alert. Do you realize we're talking from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada and certainly well above that? I've never seen it. I've seen it for severe thunderstorms in the summertime when you had a big, long front moving across the country. Never have I seen winter weather possible in San Antonio and up in the Canadian border at the same time with the same storm. So that's the picture right there. I mean, 175 to 200 million people in the United States affected by this and under some sort of a watch or a warning. All right, let's look at the storm track. Here we are, 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. What's the picture? Dallas, all the talk you're hearing about is for icing and how dangerous it's going to be in your area. And look, I don't know if you can-- I don't think-- I don't think you can talk about this one too much. This will be a huge player for you. And I know a lot of you are remembering the last experience you had with this about, say, three to five years ago. Well, here's the deal. You do see icing by 7:00 AM. You dealt with some rain today. Overnight tonight, it transitions into the icing. All right, north of that, we've got some snow falling. South, you've got some just plain-old rain. Watch how it progresses. Push the magic button, and it moves. Hey, I want to talk about the Ozarks. The Ozarks, you're going to start off with some snow. By 7:00 PM Saturday, you may start to see a little bit of mixing, some sleet in your area. Keep in mind, the Ozarks, you may end up with the biggest number anywhere in the country for snowfall. You may get 2 feet of snow, possibly more. Here's your picture 7:00 PM. It's now nudging its way into portions of the Mid-Atlantic. All right, watch that icing. It's now into the Tennessee Valley as well. Icing becomes a problem as it pushes up into Virginia. This is now 7:00 AM on Sunday. It's made its way into the Northeast. Big metro cities-- Philadelphia, New York City, up to Boston. You will be affected by this storm. Sunday is the big day for the Northeast. In fact, hangs around for Monday too. It will finally exit the area. It's going to be a bruiser. Are we setting records? Let's say, for example, like New York City. Is this a record setter? The record for New York City is 27 inches of snow. We don't see that. But let's take a look at what we see in terms of totals, first for ice, then for snow. So for ice, big areas outside of Waco, that dark color, that could be a half an inch to an inch of ice. Stay off the roads, OK, as you go through this weekend. Then also from Atlanta, pushing up into portions of, say, the Triad around North Carolina, you have the chance to see over a half an inch of ice on the roads. So many folks have got to be careful out there. In terms of your snowfall totals, look, wherever you see that bright pink, around Little Rock up into the Ozarks, that is showing you a foot or more. But this pink color all the way into the big cities, the potential is out there for a foot of snow. It's a big storm, and for a good chunk of the country, we haven't seen one this big in, say, five years, if not longer for some folks out there. And so Monday, by Monday midday, maybe everything will be back, but then we're still dealing with the ice and the cold? OK, are you referring to our area here in New York City or are you talking about the country as a whole?

Country as a whole. OK, country as a whole, it's finishing up. It's exiting the East Coast on Monday. But we thought it was going to be earlier Monday. Now, the latest guidance says it lingers a little bit longer into Monday. I would be safe if you're making your plans and say, you know what? Let's bail on traveling Monday as well, if you can, and make it more a Tuesday deal.

OK, Lonnie Quinn, appreciate you. Thank you. You bet.

We'll have you covered with updates on the storm throughout the night and the weekend right here on CBS News 24/7.