Snow Paralyzes DC, Mid-Atlantic

Emergency crews struggled to keep pace with the heavy, wet snow that continued to batter the Mid-Atlantic region today, as the white stuff piled up on roadways, toppled trees, and left hundreds of thousands without electricity. The storm, with 10 inches on the ground at the White House and up to 2 1/2 feet predicted, was poised to be the biggest for the nation's capital in modern history.

As of early today, parts of Maryland and West Virginia were buried under more than 20 inches. Forecasters expected snowfall rates to increase, up to 2 inches per hour through this morning. Most people seemed to be following officials' advise to hunker down at home and out of the way of emergency crews. "Things are fairly manageable, but trees are starting to come down," said a DC fire department spokesman. (More blizzard stories.)