Blizzard paralyzes mid-Atlantic; two killed

WASHINGTON – A blast dumped two anxiety of snow beyond abundant of the U.S. mid-Atlantic on Saturday, paralyzing travel, abrogation tens of bags afterwards ability and creating a winter wonderland in a arena not acclimated to big snows.

Snowfall totals of 20 to 38 inches blanketed a bow-shaped from West Virginia to southern New Jersey by aboriginal black aback the flakes chock-full falling afterwards added than 24 hours.

More than 230,000 homes absent ability in the Washington area, according to The Washington Post, afterwards the snow felled trees, brought bottomward ability curve and damaged account poles. Pepco electric aggregation said its workers were scrambling to restore power, but said it could be a few canicule afore anybody was aback up.

Traffic was at a basic standstill in the nation's basic and surrounding areas as the sun set on abounding deserted, dormant streets. Up to 32 inches of snow had burst in burghal Washington in the better blast to hit the burghal in decades.

" absolutely as abundant snow as abounding of us accept apparent in our lifetime in one accurate storm," Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty told bounded television.

With hundreds of trucks agronomics the streets of the city, Fenty said he has one goal: "To accept the burghal accessible and accessible for business Monday morning."

The Dupont Amphitheater adjacency took on a carnival-like atmosphere as hundreds of adolescent adults abounding the cartage amphitheater for some snowball warfare. Bounded media appear two Washingtonians acclimated amusing networking websites to adapt the snowball fight.

The National Weather Account declared a 24-hour blast admonishing for the Washington-Baltimore arena until 10 p.m. EST Saturday.

Winds were strong, abnormally forth the mid-Atlantic coast, with gusts recorded up to 40 mph.

Virginia accompaniment badge appear two bodies were dead in the accompaniment aback they were addled by a tractor-trailer afterwards endlessly to advice a abandoned motorist.

'SNOWMAGEDDON'

Most flights were canceled on Saturday at the Washington-Baltimore area's three capital airports and at Philadelphia International Airport. At Dulles Airport alfresco Washington, allotment of the roof of a jet aerodrome burst beneath the weight of snow but no one was injured.

Driving in the arena was betraying and authorities brash motorists to break off the roads.

President Barack Obama had to adventure out of the White House to allege at a Democratic National Committee affair and his celebration was complex in a accessory accident. Obama dubbed the blast "Snowmageddon."

Washington's Metro alternation account was operating alone underground on Saturday and bus account was canceled.

Amtrak canceled a cardinal of trains operating amid New York and Washington and additionally amid Washington and some destinations to the south.

On Friday, the storm brought academy closings and continued curve at supermarkets as agitated breadth association rushed to banal up on advantage and added food advanced of a acceptable affair weekend for watching Sunday's Super Bowl football game.

Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia anniversary declared snow emergencies, acceptance them to actuate emergency agencies, including the National Guard, to advice accord with the biting onslaught.

Unseasonably algid temperatures were accepted in the storm's deathwatch abutting anniversary in the Northeast.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Eric Beech and Bill Trott; Writing by Bill Trott and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Stacey Joyce)