Major snowstorm sweeps across Eastern US (photos of Washington)
A major winter storm has pummeled parts of the U.S. Middle Atlantic region, dumping up to 50 centimeters of snow in some parts of the Washington area.
The National Weather Service is predicting as much as 60 to 75 centimeters of snow for the Washington region by late Saturday. The storm brought high winds and low visibility, with winds gusting at 93 kilometers per hour along the coast.
Life in the nation's capital ground to a halt with the federal government and most businesses closing early on Friday and residents warned to stay off the snow-clogged roads. Hundreds of thousands of homes were without power as the wet snow weighed heavily on trees and power lines.
The Weather Service issued blizzard and winter storm warnings for states reaching from Virginia and West Virginia up to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
Forecasters say this could be the largest recorded snowfall in Washington, rivaling a storm that hit the city nearly 90 years ago, in January, 1922.
Airlines across the region have canceled flights and train service has been disrupted.
As the storm approached, residents emptied supermarket shelves, stocking up on food and other supplies.
The winter weather has already been blamed for hundreds of road accidents. And power lines in some areas have been brought down by the heavy snow.
This is the second major snowstorm to hit the region in less than two months.
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