A powerful winter storm is poised to slam the East Coast, with forecasters warning that parts of the region from New York City through Boston and into New England could see as much as 24 inches of snowfall.

Air travel has already been heavily disrupted ahead of the approaching system. More than 1,700 flights were scrapped as airports including JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Boston Logan prepared for dangerous conditions, FOX Weather reported, citing safety concerns at the major hubs.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Carl Erickson characterized the system as a significant coastal storm. “We are describing this storm as a major nor’easter,” Erickson told The NY Post, noting that more than 30 million people could be affected, from Delaware and Maryland northward to New York and Boston.

The storm is expected to begin Sunday and intensify through early Monday, bringing wind gusts exceeding 60 miles per hour. Snowfall could accumulate at rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour in some locations, raising concerns about downed power lines and possible coastal flooding.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a state of emergency covering New York City, Long Island and Southern Westchester County effective Sunday morning, as projections showed the city alone could receive between 18 and 24 inches of snow.

FOX Weather reported that Extreme Impact Zones — areas where daily life is likely to face major disruption — have been expanded to include both New York City and Boston.

Erickson warned the storm will pack “very strong winds, near blizzard conditions, and treacherous travel conditions,” adding, “And those travel conditions are going to worsen rapidly Sunday night into Monday morning.”

Blizzard warnings for New York City, Long Island and parts of New Jersey are scheduled to take effect at 6 a.m. Sunday and remain in place until 6 p.m. Monday. Such warnings are issued when forecasters anticipate 13 to 18 inches of snow combined with winds of at least 55 miles per hour.

Officials expect total accumulations in the five boroughs and on Long Island to range from 18 to 24 inches.

“There could be some localized power outages with the wind gusts,” Erickson warned.

Light snow may begin around 6 a.m. Sunday, when temperatures will sit just above freezing, but heavier precipitation is forecast to move in by the afternoon.

“It will be difficult to get a lot in the way of accumulation during the daytime hours on Sunday, just given temperatures above freezing,” he said.

“The worst of this storm will be overnight Sunday and into Monday morning. That’s when we expect the core of this nor’easter.”

Snowfall intensity is expected to ramp up around 5 p.m. Sunday, Erickson said, with the most significant accumulations likely between 10 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. Monday.

“You could be talking about 1 inch per hour or higher during that time,” he said.

Heavy snow should persist into mid-morning Monday before gradually easing around noon and tapering off by late afternoon.

“The heaviest of snow will begin to taper off as we had past daybreak Monday,” he said.

“But there will still be some snow flying around into Monday afternoon.”

Temperatures Sunday are expected to reach the mid-30s, with Monday slightly warmer in the upper 30s.

“There’s not going to be a an extreme shot of cold air with this storm, which is why it will be difficult to get the snow to accumulate during the day tomorrow,” he said.

By Tuesday, highs should remain in the mid-30s, followed by lower 40s on Wednesday and Thursday.

“So it will a slow, gradual melt of the snow throughout much of next week,” he said.

The last official blizzard to strike New York City was in January 2016, when the storm known as “Snowzilla” blanketed the city with more than two feet of snow.