WASHINGTON: Churches canceled services on Sunday and millions of people dug themselves out of snowbound streets as the US mid-Atlantic region struggled to recover from its biggest blizzard in decades.
More than 100,000 households were without power and two of the region’s three main airports remained closed after more than 30 hours of snowfall dumped two feet (half a meter) of snow across a region not used to big snows.
Weather forecasters said another snowstorm was due to hit the area on Tuesday or Wednesday and warned of bitter cold temperatures following the “Blizzard of 2010.” Authorities warned people to stay off roads that remained snow-covered and barely passable. Bus service was suspended in US capital and subways ran only underground trains.
Snowfall totals of 20 to 38 inches (51 to 99 cm) blanketed a wide arch from West Virginia to southern New Jersey by early Saturday evening when the flakes stopped falling after more than 24 hours.
More than 100,000 homes lost power in the Washington area after the snow felled trees, and brought down power lines. Pepco electric company said 64,000 customers were without power, and Dominion power company reported another 29,000 households without electricity.
Winter sunshine bathed the nation’s capital, where pedestrians outnumbered cars on deserted and mostly unplowed streets. Up to 32 inches of snow had fallen in suburban Washington in the biggest snowfall to hit the city in decades.
Two of the Washington-Baltimore area’s three main airports remained largely closed.
On Friday, the storm brought school closings and long lines at supermarkets as area residents rushed to stock up on groceries and other supplies ahead of a traditional party weekend for watching Sunday’s Super Bowl football game.
Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia declared snow emergencies, allowing them to activate emergency agencies, including the National Guard, to help deal with the storm.
