On Monday, the first significant winter storm of the year hit the mid-Atlantic states of the United States, closing government offices and public schools in Washington, DC and dumping a foot of snow in sections of the Ohio Valley and Central Plains. More than five inches of rain had fallen in the nation’s capital by midday on Monday with up to 12 inches in the surrounding parts of Maryland and Virginia. The snow was expected to persist until the system moved out to sea on Monday evening.
Severe traffic disruptions were forecast along the storm’s route and officials advised vehicles to avoid the roads if possible. Governors from Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland have declared states of emergency.
Following the storm, dangerously cold Arctic air filled the hole bringing freezing rain and icy conditions across a span of the country extending from Illinois to the Atlantic Coast. The exceptionally chilly temperatures are predicted to last for the remainder of the week.
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The Central Plains where the storm dumped significant snow over the weekend were already below freezing. Overnight, parts of Kansas suffered very cold wind chills ranging from 5 to nearly 25 degrees Fahrenheit below zero (minus 15 to 32 degrees Celsius). The chilly air will linger with daytime highs in the mid teens to low 20s.
The National Weather Service reported that the airport in Kansas City received 11 inches (28 cm) of snowfall, the most for any storm in more than 30 years. Missouri State Police reported that they responded to over 1,000 stranded motorists and 356 collisions, one of which was fatal on Sunday.
It forced school districts in several states to close on Monday including public schools in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Washington and Philadelphia. On Monday, the storm knocked out power to more than 330,000 homes and businesses in the central and southern United States.
As of 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT) approximately 1,900 flights within, into and out of the United States have been canceled. Amtrak canceled dozens of trains on the important Northeast Corridor route between Boston and Washington.
The three airports serving the DC area of Reagan National, Baltimore/Washington International and Dulles were all open with staff clearing snow from the runways but several flights were delayed or canceled.
Virginia State Police responded to 300 car crashes between midnight and 11 a.m, while Maryland State Police got 123 crash complaints between 1 a.m. and 11 a.m. One guy died in southeast Virginia after losing control of his pickup vehicle around midnight with police blaming alcohol and the weather.
