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Fierce winter storm slamming Mid-Atlantic; DC could get a foot of snow: Live updates

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Fierce winter storm slamming Mid-Atlantic; DC could get a foot of snow: Live updates

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WASHINGTON – A major winter storm that buried Midwestern communities under several feet of snow over the weekend pummeled the Mid-Atlantic region Monday, prompting travel hazards and widespread school closings as federal offices shuttered and cancellations piled up at airports.

Tens of millions were under winter storm advisories and hundreds of thousand were without power as the storm stretched from southern Illinois to Virginia and Washington, D.C. Snow will fall at the rate of 1-2 inches per hour in some areas, “coinciding with the first full morning commute after the holiday season,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter warned.

The nation’s capital − where Congress is set to formally certify Donald Trump’s election as president − and Baltimore are expected to receive about 6 to 12 inches of snow, the National Weather Service said. Federal offices in Washington were closed Monday due to the storm.

The weather service warned the city’s snow won’t be melting soon, saying cold temperatures and gusty winds will “hang around” the rest of the week. In neighboring Virginia, state emergency management officials said crews were working around the clock to clear roads.

“There is ‘snow’ place like home during wintry weather,” the department said in a cheery social media post. “Having fewer cars on the road will help to keep everyone safe and allow crews to safely perform their jobs.”

Developments:

∎ In Kansas, the weather service office reported 17 inches of snow in Shawnee, and anywhere from 10-14 inches of snow in a half-dozen counties.

∎ The Cleveland, Ohio, weather service office reported as much as 15 inches of snow on the ground in Cherry Valley in Ashtabula County.

∎ In Sussex County, New Jersey, the weather service shared widespread reports of 4-6 inches of snow and 4 inches in coastal Cape May County.

Brutal winter storm: In Midwest, East Coast over 60M face treacherous conditions

Governors in several states, including Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, declared states of emergency over the weekend as the storm headed east. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for seven counties, while Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly declared a state of disaster.

“When it is snowing that fast a rate, despite the best efforts of road crews, it is difficult to keep up with the accumulation and keep roads clear of snow,” Porter said. “We’ve seen similar situations in the past catch people off guard who aren’t prepared for the impacts, leading to ‘highway chaos’ including multiple-vehicle pileups and traffic jams, which have resulted in major interstates being shut down for hours.”

In the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, north of downtown and the White House, residents emerged early with shovels and sleds in-hand.

Grace Lowe, 30, took her dog Luna for a walk and stopped several times to take pictures of the black labrador, her tail wagging as she jumped about in fresh piles of snow.

“I knew we were expecting a lot today, but this is so much already,” said Lowe, who has lived in the capital for five years. “This is a big one!”

Snow was accumulating as far south as Virginia and Kentucky and as far north as central Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh can expect several inches. A coating of snow is even possible in New York City, with higher totals in the southern and western suburbs.

Snow-packed roads led to widespread traffic closures and disruptions across multiple states from the central U.S. to the Mid-Atlantic region. The closures shut down roads in major cities such as Washington and Baltimore as well as heavily traveled highways, including I-29 in Missouri and I-65 in Indiana.

Forecasters warned drivers from Missouri to Washington to stay off the roads because of snow and ice.

More than 350,000 homes and businesses were without power in Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, according to a USA TODAY outage tracker. More than 85,000 outages were reported in Kentucky alone. Kentucky Power said in a social media post that the company was monitoring and assessing the storm impacts.

“Our crews are working hard to switch customers to different power sources where they can,” the post said. “Hundreds of line techs, assessors and safety personnel are ready to tackle the restoration work ahead. We WILL get everyone’s power on as soon as we can!”

In Virginia, where more than 110,000 homes and businesses were in the dark, Dominion Engergy spokesperson Aaron Ruby said the company has “deployed hundreds of crews and bucket trucks across Western, Central, Southside and Northern Virginia and we’re prepared to bring on additional crews as needed.”

In Kentucky, several crashes snarled traffic on the city’s highways and hundreds of calls for assistance were made to Louisville Emergency Services. State Police said Trooper Landon Key “is doing good” after a vehicle rear-ended his cruiser Sunday while he was working at a collision on Interstate 65 in Hart County, 70 miles south of Louisville. 

More than 7 inches of snowfall was recorded at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport as the system moved through Sunday, setting a new one-day record for the date. The National Weather Service in Louisville predicted an additional 1-3 inches of snowfall could come Monday morning. Gov. Andy Beshear said crews were working to clear roads for utility crews and urged residents to “please stay safe at home.”

Meteorologists said the system is expected to taper off by Monday afternoon, but bitter cold temperatures were expected to last until the weekend.

− Marina Johnson, Leo Bertucci, and Keisha Rowe, Louisville Courier Journal

Over 3,000 U.S. flights had been delayed or canceled by 9 a.m., according to the FlightAware tracker. In Washington D.C, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reported over 410 cancellations. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport had more than 200 cancellations.

A temporary ground stop was in place at Chicago O’Hare International Airport early Monday before departures continued, though they were delayed by an average of 48 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Amtrak canceled more than 50 Monday trains, adding that the “adjustments have been made with no alternative transportation being offered.”

Hundreds of schools from Illinois to Washington, D.C., were forced to close on Monday, delaying for many the first day of school after winter break. In Washington, public schools were shuttered Monday as snow began piling up and temperatures dropped below freezing levels. School closures also delayed students’ return to the classroom in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Cincinnati Public Schools are closed Monday as snow is expected to continue into the beginning of the school week. In Springfield, Missouri, the school district canceled school Monday because of inclement weather and icy roads. In Kentucky, some Louisville-area schools canceled classes as the storm moved into the area, bringing a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain and hazardous road conditions.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen

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