After a relatively mild winter and an alarmingly warm Christmas, Old Man Winter will finally shake things up in the Northeast this weekend.

Forecasters expect "Winter Storm Jonas" to bury much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in up to two feet of snow, starting on Friday. Blizzard warnings have already been issued for the Baltimore and Washington D.C. metro areas, while blizzard watches are also in effect all the way to Philadelphia and New York City.

The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center warns that Jonas, the first major storm of the year, could bring heavy, "perhaps crippling" snowfall in Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia and other regions, reports The Associated Press. The winter storm will likely arrive on Friday and last throughout Saturday morning.

Altogether, Jonas is expected to deliver heavy snowfall to about 15 states on the East Coast, bringing heavy ice accumulations, strong winds and coastal flooding that will last through Sunday, predicts The Weather Channel.

Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia held a news conference Wednesday where she talked about preparation for the blizzard conditions and up to 2 feet of snow. She has also sent request to the National Guard for Humvees that could reach isolated people and areas, if necessary.

"If this is a blizzard and we have sustained winds and people lose power, that would be my biggest concern," Bowser said, according to The AP. "We can move the snow. We will move the snow."

Weather experts also issued warnings for people to avoid traveling in blizzard conditions, especially Friday night through Saturday night when the strongest winds and potentially life threatening conditions are expected to arrive.

The storm has already dropped snow in certain parts of the central Plains Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Meteorologist Rich Otto said Wednesday that the storm will bring ice and freezing rain to Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky on Thursday. Meanwhile, experts say there will be at least 6 inches of snow likely throughout the I-95 corridor northward through New York City.