Second snow storm bearing down on US

Feb 9, 2010, 17:28 GMT

Washington - The United States was bracing for its second major snow storm in less than five days even as the federal government remained shuttered Tuesday while the Washington region digs out from the first one.

The newest storm - bearing up to 45 centimetres of snow - has already started in Chicago, where it created major rush hour delays Tuesday morning, and was expected to arrive in full force on the East Coast after midnight, AccuWeather reported.

The storm's final destinations include Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston - all told, about 100 million people, or nearly one-third of the US population.

The new blanket of chill will fall on top of near record 45-to-97- centimetre snowfalls over the weekend that paralysed the mid-Atlantic region from Washington to Philadelphia.

Plane and train schedules were barely resuming on Tuesday, and many suburban neighbourhoods in Washington and elsewhere still had not seen a snowplough to clear the first layer.

Grocery shelves emptied out fast on Monday as people began venturing out, but meat departments struggled to keep up with demand since many of their staff could not get to work, one media report said.

The Washington Metro transit system resumed service to most above- ground stations on Tuesday, but with very limited service that was expected to close again early with the new snowfall.

Even for riders travelling just a few stations downtown, a normal 20-minute commute turned into an hour-long struggle as they waited 40 minutes and more for trains. One rider said people stood head-in- neighbour's armpit.

The mood however was upbeat, as riders congratulated themselves on getting to work and claimed boasting rights over federal workers.

A major factor in the federal government's extreme decision to close offices is whether public transit can handle the traffic.

Tens of thousands of customers remained without power in the Washington region on Tuesday, and some sought warmth in local government shelters while others bunked in with friends and family.