Washington: A major snowstorm pummeled the United States from Illinois to Virginia and New York, nearing all-time winter records after an epic weekend blizzard paralyzed Washington and much of the east coast.
Federal government offices in the capital will be closed Wednesday for the third straight day, while local schools prepared to remain closed until next week as the National Weather Service forecast the mid-Atlantic region would get up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of fresh snow.
A winter storm warning was in effect until 7:00 pm Wednesday (0000 GMT Thursday) for Washington, central Maryland, northern Virginia and eastern West Virginia, with the official forecasting service warning that strong winds accompanying the snowfall will make travel "very hazardous."
Thousands of homes were still without power after Friday and Saturday`s massive snowfall dubbed "Snowmageddon" left whole neighborhoods entombed in as much as three feet (91 cm) of the white stuff. Strong winds expected to accompany the second storm could also translate to further power outages.
Snow-weary residents have since scrambled to get a sense of normalcy, digging out, stocking up on depleted groceries and clearing their streets from fallen trees and branches.
But even before what some are calling "Snoverkill" hit, many secondary roadways remained treacherous with piles of snow and near-invisible black ice.
Harried commuters in the mid-Atlantic states struggled to dig out buried cars and trundle to work on icy roads, while subway users in the capital suffered long waits despite the relaunch of suspended overground services earlier Tuesday.
PTI
