New York, Jan 30 (IANS): A Nor'easter has slammed the US East Coast, bringing with it a mix of heavy snow and fierce winds.

More than 10 million people in some coastal areas from Virginia into New England are under blizzard warnings, with heavy snow and strong winds, with predicted gusts up to 70 mph in some areas, Xinhua news agency quoted a CNN report as saying on Saturday.

Some governments in the Northeast have banned vehicle travel for parts of the day, including Rhode Island through to 8 p.m. on Saturday, with a tractor-trailer ban until midnight, while many have urged people to stay home.

Ten inches of snow or more already had fallen in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Long Island, according to the CNN report.

More than 1 foot of snow could fall by Sunday morning from Long Island through Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, it added.

A Nor'easter is a storm along the East Coast of North America, so called because the winds over the coastal area are typically from the northeast, according to the National Weather Service.

These storms may occur at any time of year but are most frequent and most violent between September and April.

Nor'easters usually develop in the latitudes between Georgia and New Jersey.