East Coast to be slammed with wintery blast this weekend

Mother Nature is going to hit the East Coast like a lion this weekend with a winter blast that will bring torrential rain, snow, icy roads and, in some southern states, tornados.

The weather system that's forecasted to hit on Saturday has already dumped one to two inches of snow in states such as Colorado, Kansas and Missouri.

As of Friday, more than 75 million Americans across 26 states are under alert for winter weather. Most of the East Coast states affected have issued winter storm watches or winter storm warnings.

By Friday night into Saturday morning, the storm will dump heavy snow from West Virginia to Pennsylvania before moving to upstate New York and New England. Up to a foot of snow is possible in some areas, according to the forecast.

Along the I-95 corridor, heavy rain and wind are expected Saturday morning before changing into the snow. Major cities like Washington, D.C., and New York City aren't expected to see a lot of snow accumulation but the freezing temperatures will make the roads icy.

The forecast is also predicting dangerous weather conditions for southern states.

An enhanced threat for tornadoes and damaging winds has been issued for parts of the Florida panhandle into southern Georgia – including Tallahassee, Panama City and Albany, Georgia. The time for the greatest risk of tornadoes will likely be late Friday night into early Saturday morning.