Winter storm lashes South, mid-atlantic
A potent winter storm packing heavy snow moved across the South and midatlantic on Monday, snarling traffic, causing nearly 850,000 power outages and shutting the federal government in Washington.
In the core of the storm’s heavy snow, there is the potential for 6-12 inches and locally higher amounts to pile up by the time the storm winds down, Accuweather said. That heavy amount of snow was most likely to fall from parts of eastern Virginia to the eastern shore of Maryland, much of Delaware and southern New Jersey.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the area. Wind gusts of up to 35 mph were forecast, and travel was expected to be very difficult because of the hazardous conditions, the weather service said. The Weather Prediction Center said 2 inches of snow per hour could fall in some areas, and thundersnow was reported in at least five states, the Weather Channel said.
In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced that federal offices would be closed Monday. Several school districts in the region said they would be closed, delayed or have virtual learning.
Authorities across Virginia and Maryland reported numerous crashes and treacherous roads.
More than half the flights at Washington’s three major airports were either delayed or canceled Monday morning, Flightaware said. A quarter of the flights at New York’s three major airports were delayed or canceled.
The storm produced gusty winds, which contributed to power outages in parts of the Southeast and mid-atlantic, Weather.com said. Almost 850,000 homes and businesses had lost electricity in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas as of midday Monday, according to poweroutage.us.
The storm dumped snow on the Plains, Midwest and interior Northeast over the past few days. Other parts of the country were dealing with a snowy start to the new year. Western Washington state and Oregon saw a mix of rain and snow while heavy snow, gusty winds, drifts and crashes shut down mountain passes and some highways.
Contributing: The Associated Press