Washington region slowly digs out from "snowmageddon"

Feb 8, 2010, 5:26 GMT

Washington - Government offices in Washington were to be closed Monday after a massive snowfall of 45 to 97 centimetres paralysed the Mid-Atlantic region and left tens of thousands of people without electricity.

So much snow fell that even US President Barack Obama agreed with local pundits' name for the blizzard of 2010: 'Snowmageddon.'

Another storm was headed to the region, due to hit Tuesday evening and Wednesday, with 15 to 30 centimetres of snow expected in the area between Washington and Philadelphia.

Air travel in the capital area was expected to be limited on Monday at Reagan National airport and Dulles and Baltimore-Washington international airports. Passengers were advised not to come to the airport unless they had flight confirmation.

From Philadelphia south to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia, main roads were plowed but still slippery. Many secondary roads and suburban neighbourhood streets remained covered with the near-record snow blanket.

Rail systems, normally the reliable alternative, were struggling to return to normal. Amtrak's inter-city service from New York to Washington was spotty, and about 30 trains were cancelled on Sunday, media reports said.

In Washington on Monday, the Metro system will offer limited service for the third day running. Capital area schools and local governments will remain closed.

For the tens of thousands of people without electricity, local governments were offering shelters against sub-freezing temperatures.

At its heaviest, the blizzard dumped 97 centimetres of snow from Friday morning to Saturday evening in Elkridge, Maryland, just south of Baltimore.

Washington recorded 45 centimetres at Reagan National Airport, the city's second-largest snowfall ever. Philadelphia registered its second-biggest total at 72 centimetres. Baltimore-Washington International airport had 63 centimetres.

'This was an epic storm,' said Andrew Ulrich, a meteorologist for AccuWeather.com Inc, in State College, Pennsylvania. 'The sheer amount of snow was amazing.'

Snow fell for more than 24 hours, starting Friday about noon and ending by early evening Saturday. Most of the snowfall came in wet, heavy flakes, which was turning rock-hard in the bitter cold now forecast to grip the region for the next several days.

The heavy snow caused roofs to partially collapse on at least half a dozen buildings, including a school and a church, local broadcaster WJLA reported.

At least two people had died in a traffic accident in Virginia, local reports said.

Obama, whose adopted hometown of Chicago is used to harsh winters, has chided the nation's capital in the past for its collective fear of snow. But he called the latest storm 'Snowmageddon here in DC' when addressing a Democratic Party meeting, held on Saturday despite the weather.

The Washington region already received a massive snow storm in December when 40 centimetres fell, and this weekend's storm was a rare second major storm within one season. The record snowfall for the capital was 70 centimetres in January 1922.