Winter storm hits Washington, D.C.; power knocked out across Southeast
NEW YORK TIMES
Travis Fondow skis along the National Mall in Washington today. Federal government offices and schools in the Washington area were closed as the region received its first significant snowfall of the season, part of a winter storm that left more than half a million customers without power as it moved up the East Coast.
Federal government offices and schools in the Washington, D.C., area were closed today as the region received its first significant snowfall of the season, part of a winter storm that left more than half a million customers without power as it moved up the East Coast.
“A major winter storm is underway,” the National Weather Service said this morning, while warning, “Snow-covered and slippery roads along with heavy snowfall and low visibility will make travel dangerous.”
The storm dropped about a foot of snow in parts of Northern Virginia, while Washington recorded up to eight inches, said Andrew Orrison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. In central Tennessee and northern Alabama, snowfall totals reached eight inches, the weather service said.
The storm was moving north this afternoon through Maryland, northern Delaware and southern New Jersey, where snowfalls totals were expected to range from 6 to 12 inches by the time the weather system pulled offshore about 10 p.m., Orrison said.
As of this afternoon, more than 430,000 customers in Virginia were without electricity, while outages affected 140,000 customers in North Carolina and nearly 70,000 in Maryland, according to PowerOutage.us.
Hundreds of flights from Washington-area airports were canceled or delayed this morning, according to FlightAware.
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At a news conference on Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington said, “I can’t emphasize enough right now that you should stay home.” A snow emergency was in effect for the city until 7 p.m. local time today.
Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland mobilized state resources, and Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey declared a state of emergency for five counties, warning residents to stay off the roads. In Delaware, state government offices were closed.
Roads in the region became treacherous. The Virginia State Police said today that its officers had responded to more than 400 reports of crashes and assisted more than 100 stranded vehicles before noon. Some drivers had minor injuries, but no deaths were reported, authorities said.
The possible refreezing of melted snow in the evening and overnight hours could lead to additional travel concerns.
“The refreeze on the road could definitely be dangerous for commuters on Tuesday morning,” Orrison said.
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