A late winter storm blowing into the northeastern United States on Saturday had forecasters warning of as much as a foot of snow and high winds after the system brought wintry conditions to southern states.

The National Weather Service said 7 to 12 inches (18 to 30 centimeters) could be expected in northern areas of Pennsylvania and New York with winds gusting as high as 45 mph (72 kph).

Philadelphia residents, while expecting only a few inches of snow, were warned that blizzard-like conditions were possible at one point, and later a flash freeze was possible with wet surfaces rapidly becoming icy due to falling temperatures.

Gale warnings were in effect in coastal New Jersey and Delaware areas, with gusts of 40 to 50 mph possible and forecasters warning of tree damage and resulting power outages as well as rough boating conditions. A wind advisory was in effect for other areas.

A number of St. Patrick's Day parades were postponed due to the weather, including events scheduled in Albany, New York, and Erie and Scranton, Pennsylvania, as well as suburban Philadelphia. The parade scheduled Sunday in the city of Philadelphia was still scheduled to go on. The holiday falls on Thursday this year.

The system also brought snow and rain to several southern states, including Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, on Friday and Saturday. There were over 75,000 customers without power in Georgia as of Saturday morning, according to utility tracking website poweroutage.us.