it's the mid-atlantic monster, a blizzard for the ages. a whole region, including the nation's capital, in a state of emergency. travel at a standstill both in the air and on the ground. it is paralyzing its impact, far beyond the no-go snow zone. but how long will this northeast nightmare last? we have live reports and latest radar readings next here on "msnbc saturday." a very good morning to all of you. i'm alex witt. thanks so much for joining us at just past 11:00 a.m. in the east, 8:00 a.m. out west. we continue our coverage of this mid-atlantic winter storm that will be long required. power outages are affecting more than 250,000 people throughout southern new jersey, pennsylvania and the washington, d.c., area. meantime, the airlines have canceled hundreds of flights. amtrak has suspended some services. even churches have called off weekend worship as officials advise people, just stay home. we're also seeing hundreds of accidents out there on the roads. at least three deaths reported