US northeast braces for third nor'easter in two weeks

March 11 (Reuters) - Parts of the U.S. northeast brace for a third powerful winter storm in two weeks that could bring high winds, a foot or more of wet snow and power outages Monday night and into Tuesday, officials said.

At the height of recent storms, known as nor'easters, more than 2 million homes and businesses lost power, seawater churned through the streets of Boston and at least 9 people died across the region.

"This storm won't be as widespread as before," said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

"It'll hit New England the hardest," he added.

Other areas that were severely affected before, including parts of New York, New Jersey and Maryland will see only one-to-four inches of snow this time around, Chenard said.

But blizzard conditions are possible and power outages are a threat for areas in Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, which are under the Winter Storm Watch from Monday evening to Tuesday afternoon, he said.

"Coastal areas could see 40 or 50 mph winds," he said. "The snow will be wet. Combined with the wind, it presents a serious risk of power outages." (Reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by Himani Sarkar)