Mid-Atlantic Cleans Up From Snow; More Coming

The federal government was closed Monday while the mid-Atlantic region dug out from as much as 3 feet of snow that left tens of thousands without power, and blocked trains, planes and cars, with another storm looming. With more snow coming, travelers and those with no electricity wondered when they would escape.

The mid-Atlantic region on Monday continued to dig out after a record-breaking snowfall, even as residents braced for another storm to hit within 24 hours.

The storm — which dumped up to 3 feet of snow in areas from Ohio northward through six states and Washington, D.C. — grounded planes, stopped above-ground train service and blocked cars from the roadways. Tree branches weighed down by snow snapped, bringing down power lines and leaving many homes without power.

With early morning temperatures in the teens, roadways were treacherous, and area transportation officials urged motorists to stay home where possible — and to use caution if they ventured out onto icy bridges and overpasses.

Jenni McCord, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Transportation, estimated that crews will have removed about 500,000 tons of snow from Northern Virginia roadways from Friday through Monday. The snowpack was so high in some areas that crews took the unusual step of hauling snow away to a dump site under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Road crews were working double-time to remove the 18 inches to more than 3 feet of snow that blanketed the Washington metropolitan area from the weekend storm, as the area braced for more snowfall.

"We're racing against the clock with another storm on the way Tuesday," said McCord. Although nearly 8,000 lane miles of major roadways have been cleared, crews are now working to plow more than 9,000 lane miles in area subdivisions.

McCord said snow removal crews that are now working on clearing roads in neighborhoods may be diverted back to clearing major roadways when the next storm hits.

The National Weather Service issued another storm watch for the Washington area for Tuesday. Forecasters said the next storm could dump another 10 to 20 inches on the area from midafternoon Tuesday through Wednesday.

Delays continued to bog down traffic at Washington-area airports — Washington's Regan National Airport, Baltimore-Washington International and Dulles International Airport.

"You've got a whole city held captive here," said Gwen Dawkins, who was trying to get to Detroit, as she waited at Washington's Reagan National Airport, where all flights had been canceled after 18 inches of snow was recorded by Sunday. That was the fourth-highest storm total for Washington.

Reagan remained closed for snow and ice removal Monday, and officials said operations were expected to resume at some point during the day.

Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport opened one runway Sunday evening, but airport officials warned that delays and cancellations will likely continue Monday.

Dulles International Airport was open, but the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority warned that some flights may be canceled or delayed.

Power crews and contractors were working around the clock to restore electricity to 287,000 customers in Virginia alone. By Monday, electricity was restored to 271,000 homes in the Northern Virginia and Charlottesville area. Officials expected to have power restored to 98 percent of customers by Monday night, with the remaining customers' electricity restored by Tuesday night.

In Washington, people enjoyed the winter wonderland in Rock Creek Park on cross-country skis. Children and adults slid down the hills using cookie sheets and pieces of plastic as makeshift sleds.

Dockmaster Mary Heinritz said cleaning up after the snow storm was a bonding experience for her staff and the nine people who live aboard their boats at the Magothy Marina, situated on the Magothy River in Severna Park, Md.

The group spent about six hours clearing snow off the docks on Sunday, and pitched in to shovel off the decks of boats with absent owers if it looked like the snow was weighing the crafts down.

"It was a lot of fun. It's been many years since we've had a winter like this. It brings out the little kid in you — we even had a couple of snowball fights," she said.

With stores of salt and plenty of shovels, the group is hunkering down and waiting for Tuesday's storm. "We have to let Mother Nature do what she's going to do," Heinritz said.

In Philadelphia, 28.5 inches of snow fell during the storm, just shy of the record 30.7 inches during a January 1996 blizzard. Snow totals were even higher to the west, with 31 inches recorded in Upper Strasburg, Pa., and 30 inches in Somerset, Pa.

Authorities say most public transportation in Philadelphia has resumed. In Pittsburgh, bus service restarted but light rail wasn't running. Washington's Metro trains were to be limited Monday to underground rails, and its buses were going to operate on a limited basis.

Written and reported by NPR's Deborah Tedford, with reporting by Carol Anne Clark Kelly and Tovia Smith. Material from The Associated Press was also used in this report. Copyright 2010 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.