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Deadly winter storm battering Mid-Atlantic; snow burying DC: Live updates

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Deadly winter storm battering Mid-Atlantic; snow burying DC: Live updates

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WASHINGTON – A major winter storm that turned deadly in the Midwest over the weekend pummeled the Mid-Atlantic region Monday, prompting travel hazards, shutting down schools and closing federal offices in the nation’s capital.

Tens of millions were under winter storm advisories and hundreds of thousand were without power as the storm stretched from Kansas to Virginia and Washington, D.C. Snow falling at the rate of 1-2 inches per hour in some areas could create traffic hazards, AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter warned.

The nation’s capital was expected to receive 6 to 12 inches of snow, the National Weather Service said. That was enough to shutter federal office buildings but was not keeping Congress from gathering to formally certifying Donald Trump’s election as president.

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 social media post. “Having fewer cars on the road will help to keep everyone safe and allow crews to safely perform their jobs.”

A massive cold front accompanying the snow promised to keep the region in a deep freeze through the rest of the week.

Developments:

∎ The Kansas Highway Patrol said two people died Sunday in a crash blamed on the weather in Sedgwick County. And in Mound City, Missouri, a pedestrian was struck and killed Saturday by a sliding truck, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

∎ The Cleveland, Ohio, weather service office reported as much as 15 inches of snow on the ground in Ashtabula County. Scores of Ohio school districts shuttered schools Monday, including the 46,000-student Columbus district and 35,000-student Cincinnati district. Nineteen counties declared snow emergencies.

∎ Eight cities from Kansas to West Virginia set daily snowfall records Sunday, including Kansas City, Missouri, which set its fourth-highest daily snowfall total with 11 inches, AccuWeather reported.

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

While residential streets in Washington’s Columbia Heights neighborhood were largely empty Monday, hundreds of people gathered in Meridian Hill Park for a snowball fight. The crowd of all ages formed a large circle and − during several rounds that started after a count to three − pelted each other with clumps of snow. Some used sleds as shields while others tried to unload as many snowballs as possible.Matt Florence, 34, joined the fray for about an hour before taking refuge at a nearby park bench. The consultant had the day off from work and heard about the event on social media.“We don’t get this every year, so it’s a pretty special moment,” he said, speaking of the heavy snow. “You get to bring people together around something like this. It’s a good time.”

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 300,000 homes and businesses were without power in Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, according to a USA TODAY outage tracker. More than 65,000 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 100,000 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.”

Residents of Erie County, Pennsylvania’s northernmost county, would need at least a ruler to measure the depth of the lake-effect snow that Wednesday through Sunday. Some residents in east and south Erie County would need a yardstick. Unofficial measurements from National Weather Service in Cleveland partners show about a foot to more than 2½ feet fell since the lake-effect snow warning went into effect New Year’s Eve.

Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a fatal crash involving a Transportation Department plow truck Saturday in Greenfield Township. A 74-year-old man from Ripley, New York, driving a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee was pronounced dead at the scene.

− Tim Hahn, Erie Times-News

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 6,400 U.S. flights had been delayed or canceled by 1 p.m., according to the FlightAware tracker. In Washington D.C, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reported over 470 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 dozens of 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, Dinah Voyles Pulver

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