A plodding storm that dumped heavy snow on the unsuspecting mid-Atlantic region left roads slippery and slushy in the Northeast for Monday's commute while travel disruptions continued rippling across the country days after the same system first began wreaking havoc in the skies.
The storm that coated parts of Texas in ice struck with unexpected force Sunday on the east coast, blanketing some spots in a foot of snow, grinding highways to a halt, causing power outages and closing schools or delaying start times. The federal government was allowing workers to arrive up to two hours later than normal Monday or take unscheduled leave as freezing rain fell.
"Getting snow and ice off the car was the hardest thing," said Brian Holmes, 63, of Alexandria, Virginia. "I couldn't find my scraper. I had to improvise with my broken snow shovel."
In Washington, cab driver Mahdi Abdi said he had been driving since around midnight and the main roads were clear. But side streets were a different story.
"The small streets, a lot of them are icy," said Abdi, 52. "I don't even go in."
The storm canceled more than 2,800 flights Sunday and delayed thousands more, according to estimates from the websiteFlightaware.com. More than 1,200 flights Monday were already canceled, the greatest share from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which was still reeling from the effects of the ice storm that brought North Texas to a standstill. About 650 people were stranded there Sunday night, down from Friday night when about 4,000 travelers were stranded, airport spokesman David Magana said.
The forecast for Monday remained up in the air for the Northeast, depending on how quickly the system moves and temperatures rise, according to the National Weather Service.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/us-winter-storm-slams-us
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